Honor and Glory
by La Reine Etoile
Summary: Given a chance to live again, Shen finds his path in life to restore his honor. However, someone stands in his way and he must face not only an emotional crisis, but also the nightmares of his past. OCs included
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

His recovery came sooner than he expected. For five months, he was stuck with the smelly heap of dried grass and wood that turned out to be his bed, lying down and staring at the ceiling of the abandoned house that seemed long forgotten. Now, he could finally feel his wings and legs. He stood up, his expensive robe no longer clothed his body, and was replaced by an old, soil-scented cloth his nanny called a robe. His eyes averted from his body to the distant areas covered with trees and lush grass.

_This place remained as it was_, he thought. His eyes traversed the familiar scenery. Nothing seemed to have changed since the last time he set foot there, but there is one thing. _The pandas are no more, for good._ His silver beak drew an evil smirk, only to be shattered by the memory of a certain panda destroying him and his plans to take over Gongmen City. The day he was defeated by the prophesized warrior of black and white was still fresh in his mind. One panda lived, and it was that one panda who destroyed him. He clenched his wing and narrowed his eyes at the thought of losing everything: his luxury, his army, and his finest inventions. Even his blades, his main weapons, were gone and the metal that protected his talons is no longer there. They were all gone with the wind, together with his ambition to reclaim what is his. His disbelief almost drove him mad.

"You haven't recovered yet. Stay still and lie down." The familiar voice shook his nearly deranged mind. Her voice surprised him. He turned to a small space near his bed where he saw an elderly goat in front of a crackling campfire. "You might want to fill your stomach with something hot for a while".

She handed him a peasant's cup filled with tea that was always familiar with his nose. The old goat always drank this kind of tea and its scent does not please him one bit.

"I cannot drink that! Only a peasant drinks that!" He turned away from her, crossing his wings and sticking his head up as if a servant had just displeased him.

She was his servant. She was, but not anymore.

"Very well. You're still stubborn as you always was, Shen."

He did not mind her comment. He was about to speak when his stomach rumbled.

"Pitiful," She replied and handed him the tea.

"Give me that!" He harshly took the tea from her hands and drank it fast, and his tongue burned from the hot drink. "Ouch!" The dirt-covered peacock yelped in pain "I hate that tea! It smells like soil, just like this—filthy—robe!"

The soothsayer took the cup from his wing and went back to where she was seated before. "Then go change to your normal robes. That is, if you still have any," She replied in an indifferent voice.

Her comment only annoyed him. He slowly stood up and angrily headed to a nearby river.

"Where do you think you're going?" She called out to him.

"I'm gonna take a freaking bath, you old goat. And this—this thing you call a robe will be bathing with me!" He shouted back.

The peacock was halfway submerged in the cold water when he took off his dirty robe and placed it on the bank. After which, he relieved his hot feathers and finally washing off the dirt that accumulated on his down for a while.

"That's better…" he sighed. He looked around the area and examined the place. He couldn't deny how beautiful and peaceful the place seemed to be. The gray clouds gave the place an extra calming feeling. It was quiet, even if it wasn't supposed to be. However, the silence gave him a new kind of comfort and as he watched the distance, his mind wandered off somewhere.

_The cannon was a mere few inches away from him when he snapped out of it. Before it literally crushed him, he was able to jump to the river. However, the impact of the explosion sent him drifting away to a distant range, the cheers of the people of Gongmen City slowly fading, until he heard no more._

_He woke up to find himself in an abandoned house with the soothsayer beside him. He was covered in bandages and couldn't move. _

_Much to his horror, he was paralyzed._

_He mustered so much strength every day, simply trying to move even an inch of his muscle but to no avail. It went on for months until he was able to gradually free himself from paralysis. He was a strong peacock. He always was, and he was very confident about it. He knew he survived death a million times before. How is now any different? Now, if he could only find the right time and strength he would definitely conquer-_

"Shen!" For the second time that day, the soothsayer took his attention from his fantasies to reality.

"What?" He replied in an irritated voice.

"It's getting cold. Get off the water and wear this" She showed him a cleaner set of robes that he had no idea where she got. "You still need acupuncture treatment" she added.

"W-Why didn't you tell me you had another set of that?" He angrily shouted as he walked to the bank.

"You needed a bath." She grinned and handed the robes to him.

"W-well, look away!" Shen embarrassingly retorted. The old goat chuckled and looked away as Shen got out of the water and put on his new set of robes.

Shen examined the needles that stuck out of his skin. It wasn't painful, but his actions were limited "Tell me, soothsayer. How did I get here?" Shen wondered, not even bothering to look at his nanny.

The soothsayer suddenly froze.

"Well?" He asked again, this time, turning his attention to her.

"I saved you. I saw you floating along the river but checking, you still had pulse but it was weak. I took you in this house so I could nurse you back to health." She replied, not bothering to turn around to look at him. Shen was puzzled about her behavior, but shrugged it off nonetheless.

"What happened after the explosion?" He added.

"The people cheered, of course. Everything was back to normal and the Masters' Council resumed stewardship over Gongmen City."

Shen cringed at the mention of the council and his indifferent face slowly turned sour.


	2. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:** Chapter 1 is up! Here is where the story begins. Kung Fu Panda is not mine. Enjoy!

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><p><strong>Gongmen City<strong>

"Masters' Council, you say?" Shen spoke with bitterness.

"Yes. The stewardship of the city has returned to them. Why Shen? What are you planning to do now?" She asked in concern. Based from Shen's tone of voice, the conniving peacock seems to have another idea in mind. She had a feeling that it is not a good intention.

"I… just want to know…" He spoke softly "I will go to the city and see for myself."

"You should not move hastily, Shen. You might be walking on the path of your final moments. Do not do anything stupid. The council is stronger now and without anyone to side with you they might—…." She paused.

"Kill me?" He continued, "I am no fool." Of course he wasn't. He knows what could happen when he is spotted alive in the city. Without his stealth weapons, or his army to protect him, he will have to take extra caution in spying the city. "I will leave at night."

The soothsayer nodded. "I will go check the city and buy some ingredients for supper." At that, she left.

Shen grinned and roost atop his makeshift nest, which he now covered with fresh, clean leaves.

* * *

><p>"How long do you think would this take?" A large Ox asked the Chinese Alligator beside him.<p>

"Perhaps a few more months and it will be finished. The workers are really fast. I would say that the tower will erect in a few months!" the Chinese Alligator replied with joy on his scaly face.

"That's good news." The Ox replied.

The two observed, as the Tower of Sacred Flame is already nearly halfway completed. A good 6 months ago, the tower is but a chunk of ruins, but through the help of the construction workers at Gongmen City, and some workers from neighboring cities and villages who volunteered to work with them, the tower will be completed in no time.

"Master Ox! Master Croc!" A hoarse voice called the attention of the two Kung Fu masters.

"What is it, wolf?" Master Ox asked.

"Mr. Sui wants to send his thanks for helping with repairing his shop." The one-eyed wolf smiled at his two new masters. "Also, the lady at the bridge commented that the workers work fast. The people of the city are quite amazed by all this repairs we're making!"

"That's good. We're doing all of this for them anyways. How are your neck wounds? You've been working around all day. You should retire for now." He placed a hoof on the wolf's shoulder.

"Thank you, Master. Excuse me." With that he bowed and proceeded to head to the palace.

The two masters returned the bow and the wolf walked away.

"Daddy!" A wolf pup cried out. He approached the wolf and raised his arms.

"Hey, son!" The wolf took his son and hugged him "how was your day?"

"The wolf teachers are amazing. They taught me how to this cool kick!" He excitedly chirped.

"Really? Show me." He put his son down. The young wolf immediately made a fighting stance and showed off quite a powerful kick for his young age. "That was cute!" he commented when he picked up his son.

"Aw, dad! Cute is for cute stuff! I'm being tough! Grrr-!" The young wolf bared his little teeth and tried to imitate his father's intimidating growl.

"Alright, alright, toughie. Now it's time to take your bath." He carried his son back to the quarters where the wolves stayed and disappeared from sight.

"He has a cute son." Master Croc commented "but I can just imagine how that cute face could've shown so much anguish if Shen had succeeded in killing his father."

"You can never kill a strong spirit" Master Ox replied "He was lucky he survived those blades. He wasn't fortunate enough to save his voice though. I'll tell you that."

"Poor guy…" Master Croc sighed.

The two proceeded to enter the tower at work to examine the interior.

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><p>The sun had already set a few hours ago and the wind was moist and cold. There were no stars in the sky, and the clouds looked like it was about to bring rain in a matter of hours more. The wind blew the dark robes that Shen had put on in order to conceal his white feathers. He stepped out of the old abandoned house and headed to the direction of the city, where what awaits him is unknown.<p>

"Be careful!" the soothsayer cried out. Shen only replied with a smirk then left.

"I have no weapons" Shen thought to himself "for tonight, I must be extra careful… I have to make it here before morning" his bare feet ran across the grassy field. He could hardly wait to see what has become of his beloved city months after he reluctantly left it.

After almost an hour of travel, Shen was able to reach the city unnoticed. His ruby orbs discerned the familiar place from a dark, abandoned alley. His eyes came across the bridge he once blew, brand-new as if nothing had touched it. The remaining citizens that walked along the market road had no trace of sorrow, or trouble in their faces, ones he witnessed when he took his armed ship towards the harbor that one fateful dawn. Before another fit of rage came to him, he shook the memory off his head and proceeded with watching.

Since it was night and only a portion of the city is lit, he couldn't see much else.

His feather-covered wing clenched in excitement. Seeing the city for the first time in months had brewed an eager air into his mad head, and challenged him to an idea.

"Gongmen City will be MINE." He whispered wickedly.

Meanwhile, the soothsayer, left alone inside the house, busied herself tending to the open campfire that heated the pot hanging above it. Shen has been gone for hours, and she anticipated his return soon. She was about to pour in some tea to her cup when she heard a slight rustling of leaves behind a tree in front of the open wall.

She looked up to see only darkness but she knew for sure that she wasn't alone.

"I knew you'd come." She called out to the darkness, and a familiar figure reticently bared itself from behind the tall tree. "He just left" The soothsayer told the woman with a hooded robe, a smile on her face.


	3. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: **Thank you for the kind reviews! I will try to update as much as I can! :D

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><p><strong>Retribution<strong>

"No, no, it's alright. You're the reason why I came here, soothsayer." The hooded woman gently replied.

"He has returned to normal. His paralysis cured earlier than I expected." The soothsayer told the woman without even having to ask. The stranger, in return, was puzzled, wondering if the soothsayer had once again displayed her proficiency in prediction, or if she had made her intentions obvious. "That man is still stubborn as usual, but unlike the past few months he is able to eat well," she added, "though he is quite very picky."

"Your fortune-telling really hasn't changed a bit." She replied courteously to the elderly goat "but do tell me, soothsayer. What does he plan on doing now?"

"I cannot really tell what's going on in his mind." The soothsayer retorted, inviting the mysterious woman inside the house.

"Is he not telling you any plans? Any plans at all?" the stranger replied, sitting comfortably on the nest Shen slept on.

"He tells me nothing of what goes on in his mind. To be honest, he seemed very distant lately until tonight, when he went to see Gongmen City for himself."

"He's in Gongmen City?" The stranger exclaimed.

"Yes, he is. He is, however, powerless and is without weapons. For the meantime, he can cause no harm" The soothsayer replied calmly "but that won't be for long."

There was a worried tone in the stranger's voice. She stared at the soothsayer whose back is turned to her, facing the fire that heated the teapot. There was momentary silence when something had entered the stranger's mind.

"What do you see?" asked the stranger, pertaining to the soothsayer's foresight.

"I see…" the soothsayer stared at the crackling flames "… a plot."

"What plot?" the stranger asked.

"Not sure, actually" the soothsayer replied in a humorous air.

The stranger's mouth hanged open with the soothsayer's sudden change of atmosphere. "Tell me, please!" she begged.

"It will gradually unfold to you child. It will be left for you to find out." The soothsayer smiled at her and offered her a cup of tea, which she gladly accepted. The stranger stared at the cup for a while as she contemplated about the plot the soothsayer was talking about. "Shen must not fall to the same path of wickedness again, soothsayer."

The soothsayer looked at her with concerned eyes. She knows that this hooded stranger is right. The wicked path that Shen traversed before had only brought him destruction, and in fact, nearly killed him. "I will do everything I can to save him from that path." She assured her.

"Thank you. I'm sure that is what his parents would have wanted as well." The stranger replied with a calmer voice.

"It is in his place to listen and obey. I could not control him, after all. Only he can control his destiny." The soothsayer added.

Despite her face being half-covered by a hood, the soothsayer could see a comforted smile on the stranger's face. Seeing the heart-lightening smile, she smiled as well in return.

* * *

><p>Upon Shen's return, he rushed into the old house with a grin on his white face.<p>

"What have you witnessed that made you wear that smirk, Shen?" The soothsayer asked him. The two were alone once again, and there were no signs that the stranger had been there.

"A glorious plot, soothsayer" he replied, not even bothering to look at her "a glorious plot that would lead me back into ruling Gongmen City!" He chuckled at the thought.

"You never learn, don't you?" the soothsayer asked in a serious voice "If you keep on travelling the path of violence, it will only lead you to your own harm. Why is it that you cannot understand?"

"No soothsayer. It is YOU who does not understand." Shen turned to her, his miniscule, intimidating pupils piercing at her. "Why would I do that? I am not an idiot!"

The soothsayer only shook her head. "You do not have your army with you Shen! And are you not afraid that the panda will come back for you and this time finish you for sure?"

Shen kept his gaze firmly at her. The mention of the panda reminded him of his defeat in his hands. "Then I will make sure that this time, he would not come back." He turned away from her and walked away out to the cold night air, viewing the city from that distance. "This time, my plan will not fail. I will make sure of that." An evil laugh filled the void of silent air, echoing throughout the abandoned village.

The soothsayer did not respond. She was aware of Shen's plan, being one who could have foreseen it after all. "Shen," she tried again "as long as you keep on that path, you will never be victorious. I assure you, you will never win."

Shen did not respond to her and only turned to look at her.

"Change your ways, Shen. Only then can you find the victory you are looking for. I'm telling you now that the path you choose to travel is not the right one."

As if taking what she said in consideration, Shen looked down, appearing to be in deep thought. There was a wee silence, then Shen spoke "You underestimate me. I will show you."

An evil grin stayed on the peacock's beak as he headed inside.

"I will carry on with my plan, and you know it." At that, Shen turned his back on the soothsayer and proceeded to roost on his nest. "Tomorrow, my journey to victory shall start!"

The soothsayer only sighed, a feeling of disappointment overshadowing her. She knows for sure, that what she had foreseen would eventually happen.


	4. Chapter 3

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **According to a research I made, a group of badgers is called a cete. Chapter 3 is up! Please review, and thank you to the kind reviews on my previous chapters 3

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><p><strong>Hidden<strong>

The following day, Shen got up hours before the sun raised much to the soothsayer's surprise. It was no surprise to her, however, that the peacock had finally decided to set on a journey of his own.

"Remember, Shen. Think twice before heading to the path you wish to travel. I know—…"

"You don't need to remind me twice, old goat. I know what I'm doing and you should know as well." Shen cut her off, arrogance in his voice. "The path I shall take is my path to my long-lost honor and glory! They will all see…" A giddy laugh escaped the fowl's beak. The soothsayer only sighed in reply.

"You will see what will become of me, and I assure to you" Shen turned to her one last time "that this time… I will emerge victorious."

The peacock departed the abandoned house with his eye-spotted tail gracefully sweeping the path of grass. "Goodbye soothsayer. I'm glad to have found a use to you by tending to my wounds. I commend you for that." He finally said without looking back. The soothsayer was a bit surprised and felt a spark of happiness at Shen's gratitude, albeit the arrogance was still evident.

"Goodbye, Shen." She gently replied, only loud enough for the peacock to hear.

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><p>Minutes before sunrise, Shen was on his way out of the city carrying a medium-sized bag that contained small throwing knives. The knives were what remained of his large stock that he left in the fireworks factory, which he intended to be his emergency supply. A small cave soon came into view after minutes of walking and the peacock decided to proceed into it. He dragged the big bag inside, along with a halberd he recovered. "Fools. Leaving the factory without guard, huh?" He chuckled as he sat down next to the bag, exhausted.<p>

He looked around. He observed the tree-filled area around him and a small pathway leading to the main road where he walked. He thought of hiding the path later on to prevent anyone from tracking him. The main road stretched from the city gates to a vacant harbor, and farther more, is a forest leading to the mountains.

"This would've been easier with those wolves and gorillas around. Those traitors, siding with the council…" He murmured under his breath "… when I take back Gongmen City, those traitors will be punished!" he clenched his fist as his eyes burned with anger. "All of them! All of them will suffer!" In a fit of rage, he threw the halberd on the wall, piercing through it and eventually being stuck there. Shen walked to the wall and tried to pull the halberd off but it didn't budge, much to his irritation. He laid his wings on the handle once again to try and pull it off. He pulled harder and harder until it finally came loose, sending him with the spear at hand flying to the other end of the cave. His back harshly collided with the wall and fell hard on the soil.

"Ow!" He yelped in pain and rubbed his hip.

"There's someone in the cave!" He heard a husky voice outside the cavern. Acting quickly, he took his supply of throwing knives into his robe and held the halberd tight.

He immediately went out of the cave and saw boar bandits running to his direction.

"Get him!" One of the boars yelled.

A group tried to attack him but fell face down as Shen evaded their attack with much speed and with accuracy, threw a couple of blades at them. More boars came to his way, swinging their weapons at him. Shen smirked at them and proceeded to fight them all by himself. Though hardly armed, Shen was able to defeat most of the bandits.

"Quick! Gongmen City is just a few meters away!" Immediately, the remaining boars ran to the path leading to the gate to the city.

"Oh no you don't" Shen whispered as he threw a number of knives to the group, taking down majority of the group. As the remaining boars watched how their colleagues fall in defeat, they hastily retreated and ran away from the city gates. "T-this guy is tough! Let's get outta here!" Shen grinned as he watched the boars ran, cowering in fear. He was about to say something when he heard two familiar voices nearing his location. His eyes narrowed, but escaped to the cave nonetheless, not wanting to be spotted by anyone—just yet.

"What the—who did this?" Shen heard one of them say, seeing the bandits lie face down on the dirt.

"But the bell just rang a minute ago! It's impossible someone could've defeated them this quickly, Master Ox!" He heard the other one reply. Master Croc looked around and saw the bandits lifelessly lying down.

Before he could peek out of the entrance, he heard another set of footsteps. "It doesn't matter. Let's search the area. There might be more of them farther over there" A female voice cried out. Suspecting it was an ally of the previous two, he stood where he was and did not intend to come out to check until the footsteps were totally gone.

"Now is the start…" The peacock grinned as he looked around the area "…everything is working exactly as I planned."

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><p>Day and night, Shen kept a keen eye over the road to Gongmen City; keeping his knives ready in his robes and his halberd near. Over a month, Shen successfully driven out bandits who tried to invade the city before the Masters' Council arrived, mystifying both the masters and the residents of the city with the unknown savior. He never showed himself to anyone, and no one knew who he was at that time.<p>

One afternoon, Shen held his knives, examining the ends of each before tending to the rest. He hid the first group inside his new white robe and took a second batch out of a bag he hid deeper inside the small cavern. He was about to put them away when an agitated sound of rustling leaves from outside caught his attention. Grabbing a blade from inside his sleeve, he took a careful peek behind the walls of the hollow cave.

He was rather surprised to see a large cete of badgers, around thirty or more, appearing from the bushes and each one of them carrying sharp dual blades.

"Proceed to Gongmen City! Get all the gunpowder you can find!" said one of them who Shen presumed to be the leader. Without noticing the escape of his target, the lead badger's behavior reminded Shen of a friend not too long ago. He shrugged the thought and immediately proceeded to follow the cete. The badgers almost reached the gate to Gongmen City when Shen threw a bunch of blades to a few in front. He jumped off his hiding place and proceeded to his fighting stance.

"What the-?" The lead badger exclaimed. He narrowed his yellow eyes at the sight of the peacock and proceeded to fighting stance himself "Get the gunpowder!" His remaining subordinates immediately moved to the gate while he fought with Shen.

"How dare you interfere with our plans?" He shouted as Shen evaded his attack.

"That's none of your business" Shen attacked him with throwing blades which the badger immediately dodged. The fight continued until the lead badger heard screams from the others. "What?" He turned around to see them running away from three opponents. Shen's eyes widened at the sight of them.

Master Storming Ox mauled a group of badgers with his horns single-handedly before throwing them off to the rest. Another group charged at them with speed, waving the bladed weapons on each hand at the masters but Master Croc stopped them by lashing out his armed tail. They were about to proceed with the fighting when a certain figure captured Master Ox's attention.

His eyes widened at the white peacock a few meters away from him "You—You're still alive?"


	5. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: **Chapter 4 is up and someone finally makes an appearance! Thank you for all the very kind reviews 3

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><p><strong>Alive<strong>

Shen narrowed his eyes at the sight of the two until he felt a hard punch threw him away.

"Number one rule, peacock! Never take your eyes off the target!" The lead badger screamed to him and chuckled but instantly stopped when a crescent-shaped spear landed a good few inches away from him.

"How about keep your eyes on the rest of the enemy while battling?" A female voice jestingly sang at him as a kick violently landed on his face "breaking your number one rule yourself, aren't you?" The badger snarled at the peahen, who had grinning eyes and making fun of him. "Go back to your nest!" He took his dual swords and lunged at her. The peahen quickly dodged his attack, jumped on his head and kicking it downwards. "Ow!" The badger squealed loudly.

"I will KILL you." Master Ox was about to approach Shen when a badger suddenly attacked him from behind.

"What about fight now and kill me later?" Shen angrily replied as he stood up and threw blades at the badgers who attacked the ox's back. He turned around to see more about to jump at him but he quickly fended them off using his spear.

"Where did these bandits come from?" Master Croc asked no one in particular as he lashed his tail on a group of badgers who were attacking him, immediately sending them flying.

The four warriors ceaselessly fought off the bandits. Having an extra arm in the battle made it easier for them to defeat the badgers, much to Master Ox's strong desire to murder this extra arm. He had to summon all strength he needed, not to fight off his targets, but to prevent himself from impaling Shen with his horns. Master Croc was no different. Much like the ox, he was distracted by Shen's presence. He, however, concentrated into sending the bandits away and forced himself not to take interest in killing Shen after. Yes, he thought, he wanted to avenge his fallen mentor, but now was not the right time. When they both did, in fact, wanted so much to take revenge on Shen for killing Master Thundering Rhino, they had Gongmen City to protect. Soon after, they quickly outfought the badgers, who almost all of them lay helplessly on the ground. Exhausted, the leader of the badgers stood up holding his chest after a long fight. He panted heavily and withdrew his swords.

"Heed our words, _masters._ This won't be the last you've seen of us. Gongmen City will be OURS." At that, he growled at his remaining troops and fled.

Shen kept his remaining knives and was about to speak when a strong hoof lifted him by the collar of his robe.

"You! What are you doing here? How did you manage to live after that explosion?" Master Ox angrily yelled.

"We saw your ship explode. How did you survive?" Master Croc added, a bit calmer than his comrade did.

Before Shen could reply, the peahen called the two masters' attention. "I'm going to see if anyone was harmed at the city." She shouted as she ran off, not looking back.

"Jiang, wait!" Master Croc called out, but the brown-crested peahen did not seem to have heard him. Shen's eyes widened at the Chinese alligator's remark but before he could react, he was quickly interrupted with Master Ox shaking him violently.

"You are with the badgers, aren't you? What are you planning, Shen?" He tried to intimidate Shen, but the peacock did not display any signs of fear towards him "With the badgers? Then why did I waste my time trying to fight them off?" he sighed, and calmly replied "I'm not with them. I am here to fight by your side."

His answer only infuriated the ox more. With one powerful force, Master Ox flung him aside, knocking him hard on the ground. "And you think I'm foolish enough to believe that? Leave now and never come back again!" he then yelled.

Shen stood up and tried to talk to the ox one more time but came to a stop when Master Ox pointed his horns towards him. "Leave, before I change my mind."

The peacock was immediately caught off guard by the deadly horns facing him. Without a word and evident fear in his eyes, he quickly stood up and fled the area, disappearing at the trees farther away from the gates. Master Ox sighed deeply as he turned to leave the area. Master Croc followed but was rather puzzled at the way Master Ox just acted. "Why didn't you finish him off?" He asked the ox in front of him as the setting sun illuminated the ox's frowning face.

"I only spared him because he helped us fight off the badgers" Master Ox then turned to him "but the moment he sets foot on this city again, even without doing a single thing, I will not again hesitate to kill that insolent fool!" He angrily stormed off, leaving the Chinese alligator rather confused.

"I was wondering why he offered to help us though. Kind of suspicious don't you think?" Master Croc said, trying to ward off the growing tension in the air. "It must be one of his conniving plots to get his hands on the city. And I assure you, THAT would never happen." Master Ox replied.

Shen listened intently to their conversation, concealed safely inside his hidden cavern. He frowned upon the reaction of the bull to his offer to help. As he sat in the cave, easing his exhaustion, he heard a set of steps outside. When he peeked, he saw two badgers helping each other out to move. He could barely make them out due to the growing darkness but he was sure that the two were on their way somewhere deeper into the forest.

He silently followed the badgers with a conniving grin on his beak. "I WILL gain the council's trust."


	6. Chapter 5

**Author's Note:** Chapter 5! By far the longest I've written and the best one so far, in my opinion. I will try to write longer chapters after this. Chapter 6 might take a while, I need to work on my art commissions at deviantArt too. Enjoy! And please do leave a review. =D

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><p><strong>New Enemy<strong>

He did not mind the hours of long walking along the thick forest, just as long he was left unheard by the two badgers he stalked. Looking closely, one of the two badgers looked familiar. He immediately recognized it as the leader of the cete, also given the clothing that differentiated it amongst the others. Within minutes, they badgers came to a halt as they reached an opening in the forest. In the middle of that opening were scattered tents, and a big tent stood in the middle. A campfire was on and a couple of badgers immediately noticed the two and ran to their aid. Shen kept himself firmly hidden in the tall grass as he proceeded to observe.

"There was interference so we had to abort the mission. The four masters of Gongmen City are tough!" The leader badger said as he panted and handed his injured comrade to the other badger. "Four? I thought there were only three of them?" The other badger replied, urging the lead badger to follow him in the tent. "That's what I thought, too. How about the others? Did they make it back?" He asked. "Don't worry sir, the rest came back safely. Although..." the younger badger said in almost a low whisper "some did not make it".

There was silence between the badgers. The silence was taken by Shen as a dangerous warning, for he knows that the slightest sound could ruin his espionage and might even result to a fatal end. He did not have much weapons left inside his robe, because of the earlier fight. He did, however, managed to bring his curved spear to his relief. Arriving and silently creeping alone in an unknown, well-manned enemy's camp drew Shen to a feeling of weakness. He was a threat to the whole army and getting spotted once will surely put him in danger. The vast area it occupied and the number of badgers who worked for one boss made him feel smaller, weaker. Wasn't his army just a strong—or even stronger than this was? For the first time, Shen felt a slight intimidation in his heart, for he is not ignorant to the fact that he is no longer powerful, than he once was.

He crept next to the tent where the badgers went and in the midst of the silence, listened intently to what the cete was up to.

"Boss Hei Bao must know." The lead badger whispered to his subordinate. Before he had time to react, the lead badger abruptly exited the tent. Shen quickly hid himself further behind the tent and followed the badger with his eyes. The badger, no longer armed, approached the largest tent, which was situated at the very center of the camp.

"A larger boss than he is, huh?" Shen snuck unto the back of the largest tent and leaned to listen intently.

"Boss… we were not able to retrieve the gunpowder from Gongmen City." Shen heard the lead badger say. He sounded like in fear, evident in his trembling voice.

"You disappoint me, badger. Why is that?" He heard a reply. The voice was low and deep, yet the air that it brings with it hinted command and domination. _This Hei Bao they speak of… he seemed to be a rather frightening leader_, Shen thought. There was a short pause before he heard another reply. Perhaps he was right.

"The three masters of Gongmen City caught us, but they wouldn't have if some idiot stalled us and got on our way…" the fear in the lead badger's voice still was evident.

"And this idiot you speak of is…?" He heard Hei Bao ask patiently.

"The white peacock, sir."

"WHAT?" Shen was taken aback by Hei Bao's sudden angry yell. He thought, perhaps, the lead badger felt worse. "That wretch is alive? How can that be?" Hei Bao angrily yelled.

There was no reply that came after that.

"It cannot be. We saw how his ships were damaged when we came to recover the old cannons he made! It's impossible!"

"Sir, he was there! I'm pretty sure it's him. I know because of his tail feathers!" The lead badger gathered much strength to reply.

"It doesn't matter." Shen heard Hei Bao stated, as he watched a towering silhouette stand up inside the tent. It had ears pointing upwards like a big cat, and a slim, long tail that swung to and fro. Hei Bao was tall, and his built made it seem that he harbored strength enough to crush a ship in one blow. "We have his weapons. His army is gone and there ain't no way those pestering masters would let him make cannons again!"

Shen narrowed his eyes at what Hei Bao said. "Once we make enough cannons to destroy the whole, filthy Gongmen City, we'll resume with our plan. Lord peacock's cannons killed a LEGENDARY master, I see no reason why our better, stronger and newer ones would not kill three… and a stupid white bird."

Shen clenched his wing at Hei Bao's insults. If given a chance, he would barge right in the tent to shank him in the neck. He tried to dismiss the thought, as it was more important to gather intelligence from their new enemy.

"Gongmen is powerless. They only have three mere mortal fighters to protect them! In a matter of months, we'll proceed to taking over the city. You're dismissed, badger."

"Yes sir!" Shen watched as the lead badger salute and exit the tent, careful enough not to be noticed.

He sat there, unnoticed for a while until there were no guards in sight. With a swift movement of his feet, he darted towards the forest path leading to Gongmen City where he plans to take the information he obtained. The pathway was in sight, and the thick leaves started to form, until he was halted to a stop when a spear pinned the end of his robes to the ground.

"Well, well, well… what do we have here?" one badger said.

"A trespasser!" the other said.

"Well, DUH." His comrade replied and slapped the other badger on the head "boss, we found him escaping from camp." The badger continued as he watched the lead badger approached them with dual swords at hand. The rest of the army appeared behind him, each holding a deadly weapon of his own.

"You! This is for what happened!" With a quick fist, he harshly punched Shen on the belly as the two badgers held him "You're going to DIE here. Right then and there, peacock. Not so tough when your highness doesn't have his army of stupid wolves, eh?" another blow landed on the peacock's belly.

"Enough." A shadowy figure appeared behind the lead badger, one eye glowing yellow in the dark. "So, the little pest is here, isn't he?" he maliciously eyed the white peacock. Given the tough blows, Shen wasn't able to answer with anything except for a disgruntled groan, narrowing his eyes at the large panther before him. He endlessly cursed the feline in front of him right at the back of his mind. He was tense, but didn't let them notice. He knew this encounter is going to be fatal, but he also knew that he should do whatever it takes to make it out alive.

"Should we kill him, sir?" the lead badger aggressively pointed a sharp sword on the peacock's throat.

"No, badger. Let him live. I'm pretty sure the people of Gongmen City would like to see their lord again, wouldn't they?" the panther let out a bone-chilling chuckle, suddenly grabbing Shen on the collar and letting his dark blue eye pierce through the peacock's being. "Oh, sorry, I forgot. You LOST." Another laugh escaped the panther's mouth, lifting his head and letting the full moon illuminate his ebony face, half-covered by a metal as cold as he was. "Let the peacock escape. _He_ will send the final warning to the masters." At that, the panther turned away, exposing his paws together at his back and looked off at a distance. The badger guards let go of Shen immediately and threw him into the forest.

Shen took the chance to escape and ran away as fast as he could. He knew the panther boss is as dirty as his coat, even without having to know him for long.

"Kill him." Having said those words, Hei Bao's army trailed off to the forest and chased the running avian.

Shen was not mistaken. He tried to decide between running away and fending them off with his weapons, but was too late. One badger had jumped on him and pinning him to the ground. He let out a squawk and dug a blade to the badger's hand to let go of him. He stood up and took out his remaining blades. Weak and wounded, he tried to run away from them as much as he can and threw the projectiles accurately from a distance. His vision was starting to haze. He had acquired wounds from their previous encounters that had not healed yet, and now he had obtained more. After a series of throws, he was able to take down much of the army, giving him enough time to escape. He mustered enough strength to outrun the badgers and lose them. When he realized he was safer, he decided to sit down behind a large group of bamboo trees to relieve his exhaustion.

He breathed deeply to catch some air. The badgers' attacks had left him almost weak and powerless, and his wounds made things worse. He thought for a moment, and decided to run instead of fighting. Not a minute passed and he could hear the badgers nearing again. Instead of running, he hid among the bamboo, keeping his eye-patterned tail together and huddling it close.

"Let's proceed over there!" He heard the lead badger tell his army, and soon after, the badgers ran to the opposite direction from where he was. With a sigh, he sat back down and examined the trail he was supposed to take back to Gongmen City.

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><p>"Steady now." Jiang softly whispered as she treated Master Croc's arm wound. The reptile winced as the medical herbs touched his rough skin. "It will hurt for a while, but it will lessen later on. Just keep it in place." Jiang smiled at her friend. "Thank you, Master Jiang." The Chinese alligator weakly smiled.<p>

"I can't believe Shen's still alive." Master Ox, still partially angry from their encounter earlier, blurted out. The soothsayer, who stood on the side on her cane, looked bewildered at Master Ox's sudden remark. She then consumed herself to deep thought, much about the peacock's well-being.

"He's up to something! I can feel it! How about you, Jiang? What do you think?" Master Croc said, eyeing the peahen as she tended to Master Ox's wounds. "I think your wounds are pretty deep so you shouldn't move much." The peahen let out a soft chuckle. "No, no. About Shen. Surely, he's up to something! Why else would he go back here?"

"I don't care what his plans are. One wrong move and he's going to die." Master Ox exclaimed.

Without warning, the doors of the palace opened violently, revealing a dirty, injured peacock running breathlessly to the three masters.

"How many times do I have to-…!" Master Ox lifted a spear and was about to throw it to Shen when he spoke tiredly. "The badgers… planning… panther…" the peacock panted as he collapsed to the ground. The soothsayer rushed to his aid and helped him up.

"What about the badgers? A plan you say?" Master Croc calmly asked him as he tried to stand.

"T-they are planning to take over Gongmen City. They took the weapons from my fallen ships and made some on their own." He clutched his chest as he talked. "Please, you have to believe me. I sneaked into their camp. I heard the badgers talk to Hei Bao!"

"Hei Bao?" Master Ox's facial expression had a sudden change.

"What is it, Master Ox?" Master Croc asked the ox.

"I've heard of this man, the panther with half a mask. He's a pirate, and goes around China to raid cities and villages." His bewildered face changed into an angrier scowl than before as he turned back to Shen "Do you see what you did now, Shen? Making a ridiculous weapon, and now it's in their hands! What we could have stopped is now unstoppable!"

"Then make a weapon to equal his!" Shen tiredly yelled at the ox. "That's why I'm here! I'm here to help you! How can you not understand that, Ox?" The three masters were stunned at Shen's sudden reaction, and the soothsayer was not any different. "I helped you once, didn't I? Why in the world would I risk my filthy life to spy into a camp of filthy badgers and an over-sized, pathetic idiot they call boss?"

The palace's receiving room was dead silent, nobody moved nor spoke a word. The masters exchanged glances with each other, except for the peahen master, who looked away to tend to putting away her medical tools. The soothsayer rubbed her beard slowly as she examined Shen. "You know, he has a point. And you, Master Ox, you know very well how Hei Bao himself is deadly. You said it yourself, you've heard of this man!" Master Croc sounded convincing to his infuriated comrade. "We can't change what happened, but we can prevent what is about to. We need Shen's knowledge in making these weapons, as well as what he knows. We can trust him ONLY on this mission."

The ox grumbled. He was still against trusting Shen, but he was also their last choice. He wanted so much to avenge the death of Master Thundering Rhino by slitting the treacherous peacock's throat, but this time, he had the safety of Gongmen City in his hands. He breathed heavily and looked away. "ONLY on this mission." His voice filled with fear, as he thought about Hei Bao and his army of capable badgers "But you have no absolute freedom, Shen." He turned to the door, pain and anger burning in his eyes "Wolf!" He called out and the one-eyed wolf came ran from the palace door, in front of them. "You will guard this man, day and night. Not a second will you glance away from him. He is our prisoner. If he does something _unspeakably _undesirable, tell us immediately."

"Yes, master." The hoarse-sounding wolf answered, not even sparing Shen, his former master, a look.

"Get out of our sight." The ox said, loud enough for Shen to hear. At that, the wolf led Shen into a room inside the palace where Shen will stay, albeit inside his former home, his actions were restricted and he was THEIR _prisoner._ "Soothsayer, can we entrust you into keeping an eye on Shen?" Master Croc asked the old goat who nodded happily in reply and headed to where Shen and the wolf went. "Best decision we could go for so far. Once the invasion is over, he can rot in a real prison." Master Croc chuckled, but it did not lighten the spirit of Master Ox.

"I hope we are not wrong with our decision." Master Ox started to walk out, and passed by Jiang "I'm not happy about your speechlessness, Jiang. You are now part of this council, as a student of our master. You know what your responsibilities are." He did not wait for Jiang to reply, instead, headed to his quarters from all the exhaustion. It felt as if there was just too much stress to handle in a single day. Jiang only lowered her head and sighed. Master Croc watched as Master Ox disappeared from their sight, leaving him and Jiang alone and soon after, retired to their respective quarters.

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><p><strong>Author's Note<strong>: (again XD) I would imagine Hei Bao in James Earl Jones' voice. I think it really works out.


	7. Chapter 6

**Author's Note:** Chapter 6 is up guys! I apologize in advance if you think I made Shen a little to out-of-character in this chapter. From what I've studied in his character, I tried to come up with what he would have at least done in this certain situation.. Please read and review!~

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><p><strong>A Friend<strong>

The white peacock trailed along the wooden platforms of the factory where he watched the new canons take shape, eyeing every single piece of scrap metal that fell into the furnace below. A smirk formed on his beak, as he remembered the times before when he used to do the same. He shifted his gaze on another platform where two of the five perfectly crafted canons lined in place.

"Impressive how you can manage to make five perfect canons in a week, wolf." Shen, without looking behind him spoke. "Where did you hide the three?"

"We hid them in three different places. You don't have to know that, it's not part of your job here." Wolf boss coldly replied.

Shen, bewildered, could only muster to stare firmly at the wolf as it turned away from him and walked away "Where do you think you're going?"

"I'm not going anywhere. I've been ordered by my masters to keep any eye on you anyways." From what little he could see, his eyes glared at the white peacock who stood a good few feet away from him. As he eyed him, head to toe, how he wish he had not, for the scar the wretched peacock left on his neck had started to hurt, not realizing that the pain actually coming from deep within his heart.

"Ox and Croc? Your masters?" Shen clenched his wing "I am-"

"No longer," Wolf boss cut him off, nearing him and locked his eyes to the equally blood red orbs in front of him "not after you betrayed me." Shen's eyes widened at the wolf's remark "Your most… loyal… servant. Do you understand?"

The peacock was left speechless by the gray wolf. Wolf boss spoke no more and proceeded to looking after the next few canons taking shape beneath them, not even sparing Shen a look like he always does.

Shen's mind traveled from the factory to his anger-filled mind as he thought about what Wolf boss said over and over again. _You betrayed me._ It almost felt like a dagger, piercing him in his very being as his once most trusted subordinate had left him fend for himself all alone. _Foolish, h_e thought. _Once I get a hold of what's rightfully mine, you, along with those traitors will DIE._ His eyes narrowed, clenching his white wings further until he could not bear it any longer and stormed off with heavy stomps. The one-eyed gray wolf eyed him curiously as the peacock disappeared from sight, muttering words under his breath before finally heading off where his captive did.

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><p>"Will you stop following me for once?" Shen, fuming mad and much irritated blurted out at the wolf behind him as they walked the halls of the palace, returning from the fireworks factory "If I didn't know better, you'd follow me even at bath!" The wolf only growled at the grumpy peacock "I'm following my masters' orders!" Wolf boss, equally irritated, shouted on Shen's face "Even if it means watching you take a bath, I wouldn't dare keep my eyes off you." The wolf walked a few steps away, not taking his sight of the peacock for a second much as he stated. Shen held back very much as he could to unsheathing out a blade from his robe and shanking his ex-subordinate in the neck for the second time, knowing very well that it could lead him to serious danger with the rather stronger foes of his, in fact, that would be much of a bigger problem.<p>

"Daddy?" a little voice came from behind.

"What is it, Cheng?" Wolf boss looked down behind him where his doe-eyed pup sweetly tugged on his hind paws. The surprised white peacock speechlessly observed the small wolf beside its father, watching every move it made.

"Master Peacock called for you. I think she wants to ask you something." The wolf pup sweetly replied after being lifted by his father.

"I told you don't call her that. Didn't she tell you to call her Master Jiang? Besides, female peacocks are called peahen." Wolf boss said, in a sweet manner so as not to scare his son. "So I can call her Master Peahen then?" The pup innocently asked. "No, son." Wolf boss replied as he put him down.

"Oh, okay… well, Master Jiang called for you. She said I am big enough to look after Lord Shen on my own. She said it won't be long." As the wolf pup spoke, Shen observed with much awe the amount of sweetness his ex-subordinate showed. He never knew he was capable of showing such warmth to a child. It was his in the first place, he thought. He saw Wolf boss's face twitch, as if his son had said something quite stupid "uh… okay? Uh, you're not making this up are you?"

"Definitely not!" The wolf pup pouted but soon returned to a smile when his father rubbed his head with his big wolf paws.

"Alright. I won't be long. Don't do anything stupid." He looked at Shen with a death glare in his eye "Don't YOU dare hurt my son." At that, the wolf hurried off to exit the palace, running on all fours to the council headquarters, which was situated around the palace grounds.

Shen and the wolf pup were left alone.

"Good afternoon, Lord Shen!" The jolly pup courteously bowed down to the peacock in front of him.

Taken aback from what the wolf pup's gesture, Shen raised a brow and was speechless for a while. "G-good… afternoon." He noticed how Cheng had a striking resemblance with Wolf boss, minus the scar on his right eye. He was rather like, a smaller version of the wolf, he thought.

"I will be your bodyguard for a while!" The pup chirped as he held out a little dagger to the air, striking a pose.

"Oh… kay." Puzzled Shen turned away from the little wolf and proceeded to head to his quarters without minding the pup following him. _As long as he stays quiet_, he thought. The two walked along the pillared corridor heading to a small room where he stayed. He remembered how it was a slave's quarters during his parents' reign and how he never even saw how it was like inside the room. He thought it was ironic how now the room he never even paid attention to was the only room he was allowed to enter. Upon entering the small bedroom, he felt a little paw step on his long tail feathers and a small thud was heard behind him.

"Why you-!" He viciously whirled around where his eyes met a fallen pup on the floor, tears forming around its glistening, marble-shaped eyes. Instead of glaring, Shen's eyes were full of surprise as the wolf pup began to sniffle and was at the verge of crying. He sighed and looked away for a while, then gently swung his patterned tail feathers, helping the wolf pup get back to his paws. The sniffling ceased and the peacock heard nothing more. _I wouldn't have done that silly thing if his father didn't threaten to beat the living daylights out of me._ Slightly looking back at the pup who dusted its little pants, he proceeded to enter his bedroom. The wolf pup followed him with much eagerness, wagging his small, fluffy tail as he ran to Shen.

The peacock tiredly sat on his bed, sighing in relief as he finally felt something soft on his bottom after a long day of watching the canons form in the factory. His mind started to wander off somewhere when he noticed the pup looking eagerly at him with a jolly smile in his tiny snout. Shen raised an eyebrow at him.

"What?" He asked in a rather irritated voice.

"You're so cool, Lord Shen! I didn't know your tail feathers could do that!" The pup cheerfully chirped.

"Hmph. Yeah." He then looked away from the pup across him and thought of something else.

"Sorry about how my daddy treats you. I'm sure he doesn't mean it! He's just probably having another bad day…" What the pup said fully caught his attention. Even without saying a thing, he looked enough at the pup to let it know he was listening. "He's just, you know, he feels bad about his vocal chords. Everyday, he would tell me how he used to speak normally and then his vocal chords are damaged when they were hit by some blades a couple of months ago." Shen could hear the rather sad tone in the pup's voice. "He said it could've killed him but he was thankful. Do you know who did such a harsh thing on my daddy, Lord Shen? I almost lost my daddy to whoever that was."

Shen looked away from the boy and was unable to speak for a while. "I have no idea." He could only reply. "Oh, thank you anyways. You know? I love my daddy very much! He carries me around and plays with me when he's not working!" Shen's eyes widened a bit at what the boy stated, but refused to look at his bright eyes still. "How about you, Lord Shen? Where's your daddy?"

The pit of the peacock's stomach churned at the mention of his father. His indifferent face had turned to a rather sour and angry one "Enough of these questions!" He blurted out to the pup, sending it backing away. The angry peacock lied down on his side, turning his back to the pup. "My… daddy… is no longer here."

Instead of fearing him, the pup's face filled with sadness and concern. He walked towards where Shen lied down, the regal peacock's tail feathers gracefully cascading and spilling down the floor. "Oh, I'm sorry… I didn't mean to." Cheng did not hear a reply "Can… can I sit down?" He stuttered. Again, another silence. The pup watched the peacocks back intently, waiting for a reply when it suddenly moved, clearing a little space between the tail feathers. The pup joyfully lightened up and sat on the space the peacock provided him.

"You know, Lord Shen, I think even though you're grumpy, you're actually quite nice!" The pup sang joyfully "From now on, you're my friend!" Without looking, Shen's eyes widened at the pup's remark. He was rather surprised by its sudden declaration of friendship. He thought, perhaps it wasn't aware with the current circumstances. He would've taken the offer, but he figured out that the pup was too young to be an ally.

"I never had real friends here. The grown-ups are quite busy with training and all. Master Pea—uh—Jiang is pretty nice too but she's also busy from time to time so we can't play and train a lot." Shen looked up a bit to the pup without standing up. "I don't understand why nobody talks to you this much. I think you're quite easy to talk to. Some of the wolves and gorillas make fun of me because I'm still young. But you…" he continued "…you're actually listening to me! I wish I can be your bodyguard everyday!"

"Cheng?" the two of them heard Wolf boss cry out outside.

"Oh! Dad's here. I better go." Cheng jumped to the floor and fixed his pants again. "Ah, here, I want you to have this!" From where he lied, a small, soft and plushy thing landed on Shen's beak. "His name is Ling-Ling. He's my little brother!" Shen raised an eyebrow as he picked the stuffed wolf up and examined it. It was crafted exactly to look like Cheng. "He'll be your bodyguard when I'm gone. He's also a good listener, just like you!" The peacock's eyes narrowed at what the pup said, taking it as an insult to his silence, being compared to an inanimate object.

"Cheng?" Wolf boss cried out again.

"Coming, dad!" Cheng cried out "I better go. See you around, Lord Shen!" At that, Shen heard small footsteps fade in the room.

"Where is he?" He could hear from inside his room.

"Oh, he's sleeping now." Shen sighed as he heard a set of heavier footsteps enter the room.

"You're pretty good with manipulating people to go as far as letting my son think you're a harmless person." He heard a coarse voice behind him. "Ha, so you aren't really as tough as you think you are when someone threatens your tail." Only then did he notice how much his ex-subordinate's voice drastically changed. His vocal chords were indeed damaged. Shen, not wanting to start another argument, only let out a sigh in reply. Ignoring what else the wolf have said, Shen fell into slumber, living up to what the pup declared to its father.

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><p>It was already dark when Shen opened his eyes from a deep sleep. He hadn't even noticed the wolf that was trying to guard him was dozing off on a nearby chair if he hadn't stood up to the sound of his rumbling stomach. He went to the door of his room, about to exit, when it slowly opened revealing an elderly goat who seems to be about to enter.<p>

"Oh, you're awake!" She greeted him with a smile.

"I'm hungry" he plainly replied.

The soothsayer nodded and raised her walking stick, pointing to the direction of the dining hall across the large circular atrium of the palace. Without a second glance, Shen started to walk towards the quiet dining hall. There was not a sound in the palace. There was no training, the wolf guards were chattering among themselves outside the palace doors and the masters were nowhere to be found. The sounds of his iron talons against the concrete floors were the only ones heard throughout the silent palace.

As he walked, thinking only about his hunger, a fowl, with a stature same as his, albeit a bit lesser in size and had a crest smaller than his, appeared right at the corner of the atrium and walked to his direction, but came to a momentary pause when she set eyes on him.

"Ah, it's you." Shen raised a feathery brow at the peahen in front of him, not a smile was formed in his beak as he greeted the woman of his species. The peahen master, who clutched her spear on her wing, did not respond. Her eyes narrowed at him, sapphire orbs cold as the wind that blew beneath their feet that night.


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter 7 up! The most challenging chapter yet. I'm not used to writing these kind of scenes. The next chapters might take a while since semestral break is over.

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><p><strong>Conflict<strong>

"Excuse me, but I'm getting something to eat." Shen coldly told the peahen off, walking past her with an ignorant expression on his snowy face.

"Feeling comfortable here, eh?" the peahen finally spoke; stopping the peacock on his tracks "you're lucky you can still walk here, to and fro, as you please. And your guard…" the brown-crested fowl eyed the door to Shen's room, "…dozing off on his job."

"You and your fellow masters are fools, Jiang. It's foolish to be this paranoid with a peacock who is only trying to help." Shen bitterly replied and finally proceeded to walking.

"Fools, huh? Maybe them," Jiang's voice started to rise "but not me." The peacock proceeded to walking and ignored the peahen. "You think I don't know what you're dirty tricks are, Shen?" The sudden mention sent Shen looking back at the peahen with eyes narrowed to a deathly slit "Too bad, I guess I do." Jiang bitterly uttered as threat surfaced in her tone of voice.

"What do you mean by that?" Shen completely forgot about his hunger and walked back to the peahen, clutching a blade inside his robe.

"The only reason you're helping here is because you're trying to work your way up to power, am I correct?" Jiang glared as astonishment filled the peacock's face "pretending to be our ally, spying on the enemy as a stage play, so finally you can have Gongmen under your greedy wings…?" Jiang said in a low whisper, "You're a filthy monster. You are an utter disgrace to this clan!" Jiang's shaking feathers clutched the cold shaft behind her.

The white peacock clenched his wing; the peahen has gone far enough. Upon clutching his feathers, he felt the blade inside his robe. His ruby orbs glowed with utter disgust on the fowl opposite of him, whose eyes were no warmer either. What seemed like eternity of tension had passed, and upon sighing, Shen withdrew the blade; a sly evil grin forming on his beak.

"How odd it is. Such words to come out of the beak of whom everyone thought is so kind and gentle" Jiang narrowed her eyes at the peacock's train that was now facing her as he walked farther away "thirty years had gone and still acting rather… stupid."

"You take that back!"

The peacock did not turn around. Instead, he kept walking towards the dining hall without erasing the grin on his face.

"I said take it back!" At that instant, the crescent-shaped spear landed in front of him, much to his surprise. As he turned, a talon that locked itself on his long neck greeted him and sent him lying on his back flat on the floor. In a blink of an eye, he felt her wing slap him on the cheek; one that was hard enough to have him let out a yelp "how dare you insult me, you dirty peacock?"

Upon making eye contact with the peahen above him, Shen was surprised to see how her face had turned worse, into a cold, menacing expression of hatred and hostility that he never thought she harbored. He failed to mutter a word at the sight of her; even being unable to clutch onto the blade inside his sleeve despite knowing where this could end.

Losing the single drop of patience she had left, the peahen squawked in anger and threw him against the nearby wall with her talons. She picked up her spear and charged at Shen who struggled to stand up and shielded himself from the attack with his lance. Jiang took none of this and continued to attack Shen, not even pausing for a breath. The peacock could only shield her attacks in return. He had every intention of cutting the peahen, but could not bring himself to do so because of the small interval of each attack. Finally, as a blow landed between his legs, he jumped to her and swung his blade in the air. In defense, Jiang lifted her foot up to use her shin guard to reflect the attack. The peafowls landed on their feet, then Jiang charged at Shen after a quick breath.

"Why won't you fight like a man?" Jiang bitterly yelled as she flipped her spear and swung its rear end to hit Shen's beak from below. When Shen evaded the attack, Jiang swiftly lowered herself and swept Shen off his feet using her shaft. The peacock quickly jumped and landed on a full split when Jiang swung her spear at shoulder level. The peahen got even angrier when the peacock refused to answer her, then lifting her spear to lunge at him. Shen was able to block the attack with his lance but Jiang spun around and kicked him on the face before he could react, sending him a couple of inches away.

"So it's a fight you want eh?" He finally managed. He leapt on the air with his tail feathers fully open and threw blades at Jiang who managed to reflect them with her spear's blade. The peahen threw her spear a few inches away and had it pinned on the ground. She ran to her spear and jumped off its edge, then attacking Shen with her wings which the peacock dodged with much grace. The two again landed on their feet, panting and breathing heavily for air. Without another minute, the two simultaneously grabbed their spears off the ground and once again charged at each other. Jiang lunged at Shen with the tip of her spear. The peacock jumped to dodge the attack, landed on her back and jumped away all the while squawking. As he landed behind the surprised peahen, he threw a bunch of blades at her again. Jiang barely dodged the blades and one that went its way to the wall scratched the sleeve of her coat. Shen opened his tail feathers and attacked Jiang head-on with his lance. Jiang dodged the attack but Shen flicked his lance upwards, sending Jiang's spear off her wing and landing far from her. Without her weapon, Shen was able to pin her to the ground; having the tip of his lance pointing at her neck which was embraced by his metal-covered foot.

"That fateful day I was banished, I swore to take my revenge on everyone who turned away from me, including you. You're lucky you're still alive because I couldn't lay a blade on you." Shen's face neared her, and barely an inch was keeping them apart "You're a fool to have challenged me. Perhaps it's because you know I can't kill you on the spot."

"Then kill me now! No one is looking, Shen." Jiang hissed at him. The peacock only narrowed his eyes. "What, you can't do it?" Shen looked away and stood up straight though not putting his foot and lance away. "Are you really that depressed? To go as far as _beg_ for killing you? Pathetic." Jiang smirked and replied "You know you can't. You know deep inside you it's not what you want. Your-" "And what would you know?" Shen yelled to cut her off "Your worthless ramblings in the past never changed. What makes you think you can do anything now? You're just like the others. You're just like your father, and my parents. All of you hated me. All of you renounced me. You, Jiang, you betrayed me! And now it is my destiny to take what is rightfully mine from you and your pathetic comrades!"

Jiang took the opportunity to swing her feet and kick him away. Instantly, she jumped to where her spear landed and retrieved it. Shen, upon landing, readied himself to charge. Once again, the blades of the two had made another heated contact. The intensity of blade to blade crashing at each other sent sparks flying and the sound of metal against metal rung through the halls; immediately catching the attention of the soothsayer and Boss Wolf.

"What's happening?" The wolf ran to the door and the two peafowls fighting came into view "Master Jiang!" He proceeded to run but was interrupted by a short walking stick that blocked his way. He looked at the soothsayer, who in return, watched intently at the noisy hallway. At that, he lowered his weapon and stared at the two as they clashed. He put himself in a ready position, just in case something bad happens. "It is not for you to interfere" The soothsayer whispered.

After one strong charge, the two landed on opposite sides. Exhausted, they panted heavily as their eyes locked with one another; not a second used to put their blades down. Jiang's spear was barely a few inches from Shen's neck, and Shen's lance almost made contact with Jiang's neck plumage.

"I… I didn't betray you…" Jiang said, almost in a low whisper and only loud enough for Shen to hear. The ferocity in her eyes had started to melt away "…I tried to save you."

"Liar!" Shen swatted Jiang's spear away with his lance and lunged at her. Jiang backed away; trying to reflect his attacks "I was never in need of saving so shut it!"

The peahen glared at him as she clenched her spear. She has had enough. With one powerful whack, she sent Shen's lance flying to the wall. She wasted no time before Shen could unsheathe a feather blade and charged at him with her bare wings. "Enough of this!" She squawked.

Before Shen could react, he felt sudden numbness in his right wing. It felt heavy, and he tried to summon his entire chi to make them move but to no avail. At that, he stopped in his tracks, but Jiang continued to jab his other wing in a certain part that left it useless like his other. Feeling both pain and immobility, he fell to the polished floor helpless and shocked.

Jiang watched as the peacock fell in front of her. She was panting for air and her tuft feathers had scattered all over her face. Her little crest was no better. She was so consumed in fighting that she didn't even notice the cut on her wing and some herbs she had fell on the floor from her cut sleeve.

"There is no point continuing this useless fight! I'll spare you this time, but come across me and my personal matters again and I won't hesitate to kill you!" She turned away and picked up some of her herbs as well as her spear "Go ahead and be difficult, but you DON'T tell me what to feel or do!"

The injured peahen walked away, not even bothering to look back and see the fallen peacock look her way; mixed emotions evident in his eyes. Before she entered another hall, she paused.

"I never hated you nor renounced you. That is not how I treat someone who was so dear to me."

At that, Jiang's back disappeared from his sight. A moment later, he heard a couple of footsteps from above his head. He did not need to know who owned them, as he knew fairly well they were watching the whole time.

"Why did you fight her, Shen?" The old goat asked him. In exhaustion, he did only just as much as close his eyes tight.

"You're no match to Master Jiang, you fool!" He heard an angry wolf above him.

"Hush now, wolf. Now help me take him to his quarters. He needs to be healed."

"How about these herbs Master Jiang left?"

"Take them as well; we're going to need them."

The wolf carried the paralyzed peacock back to his room, with the soothsayer following suit, holding a bunch of herbs in her hooves as well as some food.

Shen's eyes did not leave the path where Jiang had disappeared and despite his disabled body, his head was running, and it filled itself with disbelief.

_I never hated you, nor renounced you. That is not how I treat someone who was dear to me._

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><p>What is it with these two? Find out on the next chapters!<p> 


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter 8 is now here! Belated Happy Holidays! XD Sorry about how long it took. I was busy in school and all! And I want this to be a better chapter compared to those I've written before. Also, I credit my dear friend, International-Wonderland, for beta-reading this for me, as well as putting in some nice scenes that go well with the chapter. Mixed emotions on this one though. Hope you all like ~ please R&R!

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><p><strong>Lessons<strong>

Silence.

The dark blue sky slowly melted upon the rise of golden sunlight. One by one, it lit the halls of the Tower of Sacred Flame and the cornices of gold had shown a beautiful glow as it was touched. No sound was heard in the hall. The silence had still not left the premises, as it was a couple of hours left before the masters would wake up and resume with their daily activities—when suddenly, a loud thud had partly shaken it off.

"Ow!" Now fully awaken, Jiang shuffled against the floor and felt a sting on her lower limbs. "Oh, come on…" The peahen sighed loudly and slowly stood up to examine her legs. Sure enough, there were cuts; and much to her dismay, there weren't only a few of them. The disgusted peahen sat back on her bed while reaching for herbs on her night table. "This certainly displeases me," She muttered. Her vision spun a bit as the herbs touched her skin. Unconsciously, vivid memories of what had transpired the night before ran through her mind. But before it could fully consume her, she shook it off.

"I won't think about it at this time," she bitterly muttered.

It would have taken her a few minutes to reach the peak of her meditation site, had it not for the injuries her leg had acquired. She knew very well that there was no one else to blame for it but her, and that the additional minutes of walking towards the misty mountains should have been anticipated. She dragged herself up the hill with the familiar Tai Chi sword secured in her robes. She is confident that the bandages wrapped on tight and neatly would not infect the multiple cuts she has on her leg. Hopefully, there won't be any adversaries at that point either. She sighed heavily. The sun had started to rise rather high, and it wouldn't be long until the temperature goes too high to her liking. Finally, the familiar patch of grass had started to appear and the peahen let out a sigh of relief.

The peahen, crest and tuft feathers mimicking the gemstones shade of chrysoberyl, beamed cheerfully at the gentle light that illuminated her ivory face. Each pearly feather, touched by the golden rays of the sun graced every part of her. Taking a deep breath, she raised her brown wings to her blue-green colored neck plumage and submerged herself into meditation. Her blue eyes fixed at nowhere in particular, and her thought had left into deep thinking as she did her Tai Chi that morning.

"_Jiang, your father will be disappointed if he finds out you scratched your leg again"_

"_It's nothing, Master Rhino! I'm used to it!"_

"_Well, he certainly is not" The rhino master helped the young peahen walk across the pavement, holding her disheveled brown wing as she balanced herself. The two approached the stairs leading to the Masters' Hall and young Jiang had sat herself comfortably on one concrete step "Tell me," Master Thundering Rhino spoke gently "what does your father say when he sees you like this?"_

"_Well," the peahen replied "he would often tell me 'this is not how a lady acts!' then he would put bandages on me"_

"'_A lady, huh?"_

"_Well yeah," Jiang answered "He wants me to act like a court lady. Though, I would rather not"_

"_And why so?" The rhino's kind eyes looked at the young peahen intently. Despite her wounds, she was full of zeal and motivation._

"_I want to build my confidence, master. I don't want to grow up sheltered and pampered. I want a taste of the rougher life!" Jiang jestingly replied "I don't want to be a wimp who relies on everybody"_

_Master Rhino chuckled at his young student, "well you're certainly not an ordinary girl, I'll tell you that"_

_Jiang looked up at her master and smiled at him._

"_Hang on, the goose help will come back with fresh bandages so you could treat them before your father does" he let out a light chuckle._

"_B-but master…"_

"_Hm?"_

"_I have no idea how to treat my wounds…"_

"_You are not familiar with herbs?"_

"_No master…"_

_The rhino looked at her a bit before answering "okay, okay, I'll ask the help to treat you then"_

_Jiang nodded happily, as the goose approached her and started treating her wounds._

"_One day master," she spoke "one day I'll be able to treat myself. I will learn how to treat wounds because I get them a lot!"_

_Both master and student shared a hearty laugh as the afternoon sun gently set._

Jiang smiled at the memory as she carried on with her meditation.

"_I'm sorry I didn't make it in time. I wish I arrived before anything had happened to him," Jiang muttered, holding back her tears as she talked to her comrades._

"_Hey, don't beat yourself up. It's not your fault," Master Croc gave her a light pat at the back._

"_Yes, but at least I could've done something!"_

"_No one is to blame but Shen. But now that he's dead, justice has been served." Master Ox said warmly._

Jiang remembered fairly well how bitter her face had turned at the mention of the peacock's name.

"_Well he's lucky he's dead. Had he not have died in that explosion, I will be the one to have him pay for this."_

The last thought had sent Jiang stopping from her tai chi. She put her wings down and looked off at a distance. _What if I had killed him right then and there last night? Wouldn't it be that I finally avenged my master?_ She thought. Jiang thought for a moment as the sun shone upon her higher. _What would master do?_

An hour and a half had safely gone by. Jiang looked around, finding peace at the view of Gongmen City from above the mountains. No distractions came her way, which she was thankful for. The pain on her leg had steadily eased after the meditation and at that, she decided to sit down for a bit and observe the city from that height. Her blue eyes examined the city, filling her mind with random thoughts. Much of it had reminded her of her travels, from White Mountain to northern China where she owed her chi-blocking skills from. She smiled at the thought, remembering how pleasant it was to meet the king of White Mountain, and how she took her first try in chi blocking with her master. _It was a very pleasant adventure, indeed_. She thought.

She then came upon the sight of the Tower of Sacred Flame, which wasn't hard to spot since it is in fact, the tallest edifice in the city.

Not to mention, it is now her home.

_Home, huh?_ She thought to herself. _I can't call that my home._ Something about being called a master of Gongmen City had always bothered her, but for now, she decided to shrug it off. She had a rather bigger issue to settle.

"That peacock…" she muttered "should be lucky I didn't kill him

"For killing Master Rhino his life is the best payment to ask of him but" She looked off into the distance "perhaps I was wrong to have attacked him like that last night," Jiang whispered to herself. Talking alone had seem to feel awkward, however, it was her only resort to let it out. She knew she couldn't vent out on anyone. She didn't deem anyone worthy to hear her complaints, not even her fellow masters. She submerged herself in deep thought after that, though, away from the thought of the peacock. She insisted on spending the rest of the morning meditating and forcing herself to find inner peace.

The time to descend the mountains finally came and Jiang made her way carefully to the market.

"Good morning Mr. Yi!" Jiang cheerfully greeted an elderly antelope in his shop. Flowers of different colors and shapes surrounded the shop, and on top of the doorframe was a sign that read "Prosperous Fields Flower Shop".

"Oh, good morning, Master Jiang!" the antelope giddily replied as he appeared from a door behind the counter "how may I be of service to you?"

"I'd like to have some white chrysanthemums, please," she gently requested.

"Hm," Mr. Yi turned around to look around the shelves. Immediately spotting the white flowers, he took the bucket and placed it on the counter "that would be two copper coins for each," he said.

"I'll take three, please," the peahen made her way through the bucket, picked three of the best ones, and carefully taking them out of the water bucket.

"Paying someone a visit?" Mr. Yi asked her nicely, noticing how she was so meticulous in picking the flowers.

"Ah yes," she replied, "I haven't paid that person a visit for a long time" she handed the copper coins to the shopkeeper, as well as the flowers she picked for wrapping.

Jiang immediately left the market premises, with the flowers wrapped on hand, and her tai chi sword tucked safely inside her robes. She walked briskly away from the crowds. Noises of the people chattering had slowly faded from sound range, and the stone pavement had now been replaced by a grassy field. Jiang stopped in front of a large gate. She looked around; there were very few people on that place. Noticing how high the sun has gotten, she proceeded inside the gate and made her way to a far off area.

The peahen walked slowly as silence enveloped her at that time. The place had echoed tranquility and peace, yet her heart was bothered at the moment. She reached a small grotto with one ornate gravestone stood proudly in the middle. She sighed, and proceeded to enter the monument.

"Happy Birthday, dad," she whispered as she placed the flowers against the grave. "I'm sorry I came in just now. I know I've been in the city for 6 months yet I haven't visited your gave. I hope you forgive me". Her soft words flowed softly from her tongue.

She lit a couple of incense sticks she had with her and placed it on the incense stand beside the gravestone. To finish the ritual, she went to her knees and bowed on front of the grave of her father. The peahen closed her eyes and immersed herself into deep prayer for a good few minutes. As she finished, she lifted her head and saw her reflection on her father's grave. Her tuft was a little disheveled, and her face showed deep sorrow, for reasons she could not exactly tell.

She stared blankly at the grave that never responded to her. Suddenly, the wind blew gently from behind her. With the sudden change of temperature, she looked up as a few peach blossom petals flew by from the nearby peach tree and landed on her wings.

"_My sweet peach blossom, why are you crying?" An aged peacock approached a young peahen in tears._

"_I wounded my leg again, daddy," she muttered between sniffles "It doesn't hurt anymore because Master Rhino treated it but I know it will turn into an ugly scar again. I was afraid that you will scold me and dislike me for it"_

"_Jiang," he held her in his wings to comfort her "do not cry over wounds, or scars for that matter"_

_The young peahen looked up at him with confusion._

"_They may stay with you for life, but it is a reminder that you must always be strong," he gently whispered to her. "My little warrior," he said, "don't let those scars make you feel weak. Instead, let them make you stronger and wiser"_

"_I don't understand, dad…"_

"_For now you won't. However, as you know, life is not easy and as you grow, it will always leave you scars. Then, you have to be strong". _

_The young peahen thought for a moment and looked at her bandaged leg. _

"_I will try…"_

"_Listen," he put a wing on her shoulder, "scars are part of you past. Let go of what happened and move on forward. We can't tell that scar to go away. It may or may not mark you permanently, but that wouldn't make you less of a person. Having those scars won't make me love you less"_

_Jiang looked at her father who smiled warmly at her. She went closer to him and hugged him tightly, feeling comfort at his words of wisdom._

The peahen calmly sighed as she released herself from trance.

"If only you were here," she whispered, "you would know what to do"

She saw blue eyes in front of her; those which had never failed to hide her emotions. They glowed with much warmth and happiness all of the time, but could also turn cold and threatening, such as it did the night before. Today was different, however. Her eyes reflected sorrow and confusion, emotions that she never showed anyone except her father. She blinked, and the eyes reflected before her had turned more sorrowful and this time, watery.

For the first time in months, the warrior had cried.

"'I'm trying to be strong, dad," she slowly whispered. "You always taught me to be brave, you told me never to cry over scars, but this pains me until now. You, Master Rhino and Shen all left me this scar for life" She wiped off her tears with her wing.

The Indian peahen sat there for a while, speechless. Sighing, she looked up and realized that the golden sun had almost reached the peak of the blue sky. "I must go now dad," she muttered, "the masters are waiting for me, those who consider me a part of this council now. I don't see why I should consider myself a part of it but… if it is for goodness' sake then I will try,"

The peahen stood up and gathered herself, preparing to leave.

"I will visit you again, dad. Please do be my guide" She mumbled as she sweetly swept her chocolate wing over her father's grave.

The grotto had started to disappear from sight as Jiang diverted her thought from her personal problems to the children who await her for today's lesson. "I hope this day would be great," she told herself. She walked away from the cemetery, and just as her body left the tranquil place, so did her mind adapted a busy and crowded state. The noisy populace of Gongmen City had greeted her from the gate, and a small, peaceful smile had drawn across her ivory face at the sight of the lofty Tower of Sacred Flame.

Seeing the warrior's presence as she entered the town, people awaited her with greetings, bows and other kind gestures. Master Jiang not only had to clean the reputation Shen had left behind, but she also had to gain the trust of Gongmen City. With her travels, little by little…Jiang traced the lands of the province with Master's Croc and Storming Ox by her side; they helped her ease that fear away from the people. It sickened her when she thought about how heartless Shen treated his own followers. As a leader, one must protect those around them, set good examples but no! Shen did not do such a task. Instead, he abused power.

China's history has had its share of great leaders and bumbling idiots. From how Storming Ox would describe Shen's intelligence it did not make her think of him any less than she does now. A person can have all the smarts in the world, but if they do not have an ounce of compassion in their hearts, their legacy is meaningless.

Shaking Shen from her thoughts, Jiang spotted a group of playful children. No doubt those are her students. Their smiling faces always make her appreciate the opportunity to train them. One day the book to her story will end and begin a new with these children becoming warriors. Some may not make it to the starting point of that custom, though with others, they will make it and drink from the tranquil knowledge Jiang had once searched for.

She still yearns for more.

"I'm never going to get this." A small girl bunny dropped her tiny arms in frustration. Jiang saw the water rising in her tiny brown eyes. Tending to her student, Jiang did not noticed a bandaged Shen watching from the rice paper doors to their house.

The Council agreed to change the location and bring them here. Call it a _'field trip'_ for the kids. Judging from their bright and joyful expressions, Shen saw the love and attention Jiang is giving them that his own parents lacked to share.

Catching himself glaring at the peahen, spiteful thoughts run through his mind_. 'What makes her capable of training these children properly?'_ and most of all _'A woman should not be teaching martial arts in the first place!' _So Shen's time is further than Master Jiang's. Still no woman has ever made it to the top, a known legend. Men are more durable at combat than a woman. Women are too fickle to even stand on a battlefield. He sneered at her.

Give them the same equal rights and they'll whine about men throwing chivalry out the window, treat them like the female species they are and they will snap at you for assuming they are weak when in truth it is just proper etiquette for a man to do those things. Shaking his head, he just watched as the peahen cuddled the kid…and well. It must have started some weird chain reaction, because every kid started moving in on Jiang, hugging the fighter wherever they can get their little paws on.

Shen fought back a chuckle as he spotted a little boy lamb, climb the peafowl like a mountain. Clamping his tiny hoofs against her neck, he held on while a tiny _'weeeeeee'_ sprouted from his lips. Obviously the other kids grew jealous and Jiang's calm expression turned into shock. "Children calm down!" of course her voice went unheard as feet, paws, talons, wings…oh and let's not forget that occasional butt in her face.

"You can't hog her to yourself!" Another child shouted.

"Yeeeaaah!" More voices followed after the first comment.

Swarming all over, Jiang began the annoying process of plucking her little dumplings off of her. And to both her and Shen's surprise, they ran back in the crowd to climb on her. _'This is getting me nowhere!' _hoping her fellow fighters will soon hear the out rampage going on outside and assist her with settling the energized kids. Then _his_ voice reached her ears, that distinctive accent! Shen is standing there laughing at her as the students make a peahen jungle gym out of the warrior woman.

The commotion brought out her comrades. "What's going on out here?" the bovine's strong vocals rumbled from his throat. Lowering his defenses when he saw the rather amusing sight before him, he let out a warm laugh. Master Croc chuckled softly as he made his way over to her, along with Master Storming Ox.

"Alright, stop jumping on Jiang," He picked off the giggling students, placing them down next to Croc. Once the kids were down on the ground, they started to circle the two males, blinking ever so innocently they charged at them. Clinging on to the masters, now they've became the victims of being on climbed on. Of course with all the excitement they did, stopped, to concentrate on training.

Jiang can see the good humor in all of this, but with Shen laughing at her, she guessed he was, still and will always be, butthurt over a woman kicking his tail feathers. Next time she won't be so civil with him. Her mind hissed at the thought of fighting Lord Shen once more. Ever since he came here, he's been nothing but a drama queen. The peahen gave props to the Soothsayer; dealing with such an annoyance can grate on the calmest of spirits.

Only minutes into the training session with same female rabbit from before gazed at her with those cute eyes of hers. "Master Peacock, why is Tai Chi so slow?" Jiang's silver colored beak curved in a sly smile. This girl is amongst the many curious children Jiang teaches. Another boy agreed with the young girl. "With the way we're moving, we could all die and come back," He whispered to one of his friends, making them snicker for a second.

"She is not a peacock," Master Croc spoke in a gently voice. It is an easy mistake for a child to make; even adults are guilty of categorizing their friend with her opposite gender. "Jiang is a peahen, the girl version of a peacock," a simple explanation for them to comprehend without confusion. Little _'ohh's'_ traveled from their throats as they tilted their heads up to look at the tall woman. Actually, Shen watched one kid topple backwards from the overwhelming discovery.

"What's a peacock?" A puzzled goose shrugged. Her green eyes narrowed as she examined Jiang. _'That's right, these kids grew up when the past rulers died and Shen was long gone, banished forever' _Looking down at the minor, her brown wings pointed towards Lord Shen. "That is a peacock" Tiny figures started to move away from the warrior and made their journey to the ivory man, whom was not pleased with the children coming over to him. "Wait! He's _bandaged up_," her voice droned.

"At least they're not tugging on you," the large alligator grinned sly at her, as the old man's voice cried out over the loud, happy voices. "That is my train you are stepping on…ouch! Get off of me!" All three masters watched Shen pathetically pry the children off. They were more complying with the elder, compared to how they rallied on and around Jiang.

"They don't even fear him," Storming Ox's deep vocals caught Jiang's attention. She nodded. "I see that. They don't fear him, because they don't see him as that powerful threat we do. Just another person to play with while all judgments overpass their thoughts," Jiang folded her wings in front of her in an elegant manner.

"Some peacock…he looks more like a turkey to me," an antelope pulled on end of Shen's sleeve.

"Excuse me! I do not look like a turkey," Shen frowned. He wanted to add on how ugly those fowls are compared to his majestic species, but prevented himself from doing so. With the Masters so close and that pestering peahen clutching her long staff at him with observant eyes, he knew better than to stir their inner wrath.

"Pretty feathers," a young white lamb stroked the old prince's train. Until her motion became a _little_ too rough, resulting in a _'snap'_ sound from the peacock's train. "Oops." Her meek little voice squeaked out. Shen's ruby eyes lit up in horror, not only did he hear it but he felt the snap, too. Closing his eyes he slowly counted from ten, craning his neck around he saw his long, thin, train feather, swaying in the hoofs of the girl. Her brown eyes got bigger and bigger. "I'm sorry, Mr. Turkey," she whimpered. Shen felt blood pumped onto his head.

One of his beautiful feathers broke off, just like that.

His wing started to clutch, and readied itself to hit to poor child. However, three eyes bore onto him, watching his every move. Watching her lips quiver, Shen huffed out a deep sigh, "D-don't cry… just… just forget it" and at that, he reluctantly placed a wing on her head. Despite the uncaring words and awkward action of comfort, he noticed she stop her shaking lips but the water in her eyes remained. "It will grow back," he reassured her. _'Yeah in four years.'_ His thoughts berated his words. The lamb's sniffling had stopped, though the tears in her eyes stayed in place. _'What! What does this child want from me? I made it clear that the situation is no reason to cry over.'_ Shen is not used to the presence of children.

Take this girl for example. Kids are just too unpredictable for him and he'll _never_ get use to them.

Looking back down at her, Shen spotted the feather being tugged closer to her chest. Her tiny fist determined not to let the whimsical item escape her clutches, a small whine erupted from her. "Keep it. I have no use for it anymore," and just like that, the girl's solemn face sprinted into that of complete joy. Who knew a feather could give that much joy to a person. "Yay!" She extended her excited yell. Giving her some room to scamper off towards the Gongmen Masters, Shen is relieved to have solved that problem before it escalated into a messy argument with their teacher. Something about that woman he just did not like. It could be her fighting skills. Call Shen a perfectionist, because that is what he is. Everything has to go his way, including the outcome of fights.

Losing to a panda is one thing…losing to a woman! How absurd could the heavens get? If it wasn't for her feminine appearance, he could have sworn that is a peacock in disguise. The way she carried herself in a dominating way made his senses become more hostile. He would be damned to have a peahen intimidate the royal man. What is she trying to prove to the world?

Of better yet, maybe the question should be. What was he trying to prove to the world? That he could not think of an answer to.

The little lamb ran over to the fighters. "Look-look-look!" She chanted wildly, waving the feather in the air. Catching the attention of the trio, Jiang responded quickly to the child's boisterous action. "That's Shen's train feather,"she leaned forward to get a better look. It sure is his feather, she and the others found it quite amusing that he would let a child keep something of his. Even if he is just going to molt it off in the duration of the year.

Children are sensitive to people's emotions and Shen's unapproachable attitude could lead to the child being frightened. To think Shen did not want to make a child cry is not all that unbelievable. True, Shen does not have the extreme tolerance for kids like she does. He is not stupid to upset them in _their_ presence nor is the trouble of doing so is worth it. She can see from her student's point of view that Shen is like that cranky old grandpa every kid has or had.

"He let me have it, after it popped" Her smile stretched as she hugged the feather.

Jiang's thin eyebrow rose as she glanced over at Shen.

"I love your dress…" A random, childish voice yelled.

"It is _**not**_ a dress! It's a robe!" The old man corrected the child with narrowed eyes of annoyance. At least none of them tried to pluck anymore feathers off of him.

Jiang smirked, "don't listen to his lie. That is indeed a dress". Watching his beak curve down in a dark frown, only spurred her amusement. "I knew it!" A boy chuckled at a flushing Shen. The loud giggles calmed down as their teacher finally joined them. Jiang saw that he suffered enough.

"Alright, everyone we spent enough time poking fun at this…" Looks Shen up and down "… sad man wearing a dress," she heard Master Croc scoffing in the back, directing that action towards the peacock.

"It is _**NOT**_ a dress!" he yelled out, he failed at making himself look evil with those bandages all over him. Moving away from the children, when he passed the peahen he glared at her in which she gladly returned the aggressive gesture. Waiting for him to go back on the steps of their house, when he made no signs of leaving, she simply ignored him and finally got the kids to settle down with the assistance of Croc and Ox.


	10. Chapter 9

**Honor and Glory is NOT dead, people!**

Happy Easter, everyone! Sorry for the delays. I've been really busy with school and art. It took a while for me to write out this chapter, though. I'll try to write more this summer. I'll be continuing this fic and add more chapters as much as I can, even if not in a regular basis.

Enjoy the chapter!

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><p><strong>Aftermath<strong>

"What an uneventful day," he thought. A bitter frown ran across the ivory fowl's face as he looked around, finding relief at the sight of the bothersome children leaving the training house. It would have been a whole lot easier for him, had it not for their nagging teacher who kept throwing pointless insults at him. He clenched his wing in frustration. Surely, he would have wanted to murder that annoying peahen on the spot, but it was not meant for him to accomplish at this time.

Someday, he vowed that he would.

One last rabbit child bid her teacher good bye before finally hopping home, and Jiang's two equally annoying friends left the woman in his presence. Shen's ruby red orbs wandered off for a while to find something more interesting to look at; anywhere but on Jiang.

"You're still here?" the master bitterly muttered as she set her eyes on Shen.

"You have a problem with that? You can't tell me what to do!" the peacock snapped; glaring at the peahen who, to his surprise, was calmer than he expected.

"No, I don't," she coolly walked past him, not even sparing him a look "and I don't plan on starting a fight right now…"

Smirking, she quickly turned around to look at him with bitter blue eyes "…unless you do," eyeing the bandages that covered the white peacock. She clicked her tongue and let out a soft chuckle "how VERY unfortunate," she clicked her tongue again. Before Shen could retort, Jiang had already walked past him, unwilling to hear any more of his useless blabbering.

The quad had arrived at the tower earlier than expected. Which much energy left from the morning training, Master Ox jestingly called for a sparring, which Jiang had politely declined. Without her, the bovine and his alligator comrade left for the training grounds.

"You should have come with them" Shen eyed the female peafowl with much irritation.

"No thanks, I've already had quite a… rough sparring session" replied Jiang, who was no different.

"Hmph!" Shen turned around, carrying with him his bandaged body and left her side.

"Pompous, white idiot" Jiang murmured, turning around and going the opposite direction.

Clutching her tired wing, the Indian peahen retreated to her quarters, not minding the _I heard that_ sort of screech as she disappeared from Shen's sight.

"Master Jiang! Master Jiang!"

Jiang turned around and smiled at the small wolf pup jestingly running towards her, picking up his shorts every now and then as he did so.

"Good day, Cheng" she greeted him.

"Aww, are you done training already?" the wolf pup's cheerful expression turned gray.

"Well yes, for the morning, my dear. I didn't see you there, where were you?"

"Dad told me to do some stuff like clean my stuff and all. Do you perhaps have any make-up classes?" he twiddled his paws, eyeing the master and hoping for her consideration.

Jiang chuckled for a bit, seeing how Cheng looked cute when he talked like that. She nodded, and gently placed a wing on his head "of course, but after lunch. Is that okay with you?"

"Oh yes of course! Thank you, master!" In his excitement, he tripped over his toes and landed on his stomach.

The peahen raised a brow and smiled. She crouched a bit down to help the young wolf up.

"You're really nice, Master Jiang. Just like Lord Shen!" A sunny smile ran across Cheng's face as he fixed his shorts once again.

"Excuse me?" Jiang retorted, trying to hide her disgust. She assumed that it was just the pup's innocent remark, as he was never there when circumstances would have proved otherwise.

"You're nice, just like Lord Shen. One time I tripped on my toes and he used his really awesome tail feathers to help me up!"

"Uh-huh…?" Jiang could hardly believe what the pup was telling her, so she just dismissed it as a misunderstanding. _Shen would've planned to kill him, if I didn't know better_, she thought. With another pat on the head, she sent the young pup off to its own business and headed down the hall to eat her lunch.

The sun's heat and shine had almost completely gone when Jiang walked up to the training grounds. An excited pup happily clutching a bamboo pole waited for her in the middle of the bricked floor.

"I'm ready master!" Cheng lifted up his bamboo pole and switched to his fighting stance.

"Oh no, you're not," Jiang tugged at his shoulders and immediately, he fell down to his side, "you haven't warmed up yet, have you?"

Cheng quickly lifted himself on his feet and just as always, he dusted off his short, "aww, do I have to?" he groaned, "but it's in the afternoon! You don't do Tai Chi in the afternoon, do you?"

"Apparently not," Jiang replied "because Tai Chi is usually done in the morning but unfortunately, you missed it. So, you'll have to do a Tai Chi in the afternoon"

"Okay, okay…" Cheng placed his bamboo pole gently on the ground and started with his Tai Chi routine. As he did, Jiang stood nearby and observed his every move. _This kid's getting quite stronger every day_, she thought.

"Alright, do that for a couple of minutes and we'll start with your training session"

"Yes, master Jiang" he paused for a while and waved at behind his master "hi, daddy!"

The gray wolf approached the two with his one eye fixed at Cheng. He cleared his throat, and in a hoarse voice spoke, "son, isn't it a little too late to be training? I thought you don't do Tai Chi in the afternoon" Jiang turned around and she could've sworn she saw Wolf Boss almost tripping in his hurry to greet her with a courtesy bow.

"I missed morning training because you wanted me to clean and tidy my bed up so I'm doing Tai Chi in the afternoon" Cheng innocently replied.

"Oh umm… sorry about that Master Jiang," he quickly glanced at the master and tried to explain "his room was getting really dirty and unhealthy so… so, yeah"

"No worries about that. It's nice to know he's doing his chores" she smiled sincerely at the wolf.

"Is he getting any better?"

"If by that you mean combat-wise, I guess he's on the right track, considering his age. However, judging by what he told me earlier, I don't think his judgment is strong enough yet," As she said the last sentence, she pulled Wolf Boss off a little farther from Cheng so he could not hear "but, well, he's still an innocent child. Someone as young as him wouldn't understand"

A bit puzzled, Wolf Boss took a peak behind Jiang and watched as Cheng do his Tai Chi without noticing them walk away. He then turned back to look at the peahen master and whispered, "What do you mean by that?"

Jiang sighed a bit and looked back at her student, "He said something earlier about Shen being all kind-hearted and all. I found it quite disturbing that a sinister, evil peacock like Shen will get a remark like that from a child," she looked at Wolf Boss, seriousness and deep concern for Cheng in her eyes, "Wasn't he one who wanted the Dragon Warrior—as a kid—dead? I don't know about you, Wolf, but I advise you not to leave your child hanging around with that scum of a bird"

Wolf Boss could hear the evident strain in the master's voice. He watched as she looked away, "I didn't believe him, too, when he said that" Wolf Boss said in a low voice "but even I, myself, was surprised to see that not even a hint of fear is in my son's eyes when he handed over guarding Shen to me yesterday"

"I'm not too sure. You can never be too careful. Knowing Shen, he's up to dirty tricks, I'm sure. And speaking of which, why isn't he with you?"

Their gaze met, and Wolf Boss tried so hard to hide the nervous feeling that's starting to creep in.

"The Soothsayer was changing his bandages when I exited his room. I'm assuming he will be resting for the rest of the day," Wolf Boss gulped.

Jiang lowered her head, while her frustration slowly built up, "you know very well than to leave him like that, Wolf—and now you're telling me that you don't trust him. Why did you leave him like that?"

"Master Jiang," Wolf Boss said nervously "he's very weak and injured—you weakened him so much. What could possibly happen? I doubt he'll be—"

"Good afternoon, Lord Shen!" The two heard the wolf pup chirp.

Their confrontation ended as they turned to see Shen approaching them, with Cheng waving happily in the background.

"Good afternoon," Shen—with a slight smug—responded to the young wolf. He walked up to the two, with his iron feet disturbing the silence of the afternoon. "How odd that a child has better manners than an accomplished master and a petty guard"

"Manners are for only those who deserve it. I'm surprised you still manage to get up after looking like a sick, weak peachick when the Soothsayer replaced your bandages" Wolf Boss scoffed.

Shen's smug had faded into irritation as he raised a brow at his old ally. Jiang shook her head at him and turned back to her student.

"Alright, Cheng, that's enough Tai Chi for you. Let's proceed to your training," she said calmly.

"Yes, master!" Cheng took a bow as Jiang led him to a safer distance, while Wolf Boss proceeded to walk over to sit on the low flight of stairs where Shen had already gone ahead.

"Now, there is one thing I must ask you to do for today, Cheng" Jiang spoke as she corrected his stance while she crouched down to his level.

"What is it, Master Peaco—er—Peahen?"

"Today, you're going to learn one of the most useful Tai Chi Chuan techniques, and that is how to divert an attack from an opponent to another"

"Huh? How do I do that?"

"Using the basic moves, dear" Jiang smiled at her student, and motioned him to throw his strongest punch.

The wolf pup breathed in slowly, and then lunged for ward to attack his master. As he was about to hit her, she raised her wing in a familiar manner and blocked his attack, after which, the next motion that he also knew very well had pushed him back.

As the two went on, Shen carefully observed from a far. Upon realizing how familiar Jiang's moves were, he narrowed his eyes and glared at the memory that came running back to him—a memory that of a bitter defeat when the Warrior of Black and White used the very same moves this woman was playing to reflect the fiery cannonballs he launched at him back to his army where it fell in defeat. He clenched his wing, only to be dragged back to reality by the stinging sensation he felt beneath the bandages.

Wolf Boss stared at him for a while, wondering what has gotten to him at that moment. Shen felt his guardian's stare, and shrugged it off to think of something else; something less hostile and infuriating.

"Woah! So that's what the Tai Chi does, Master Jiang?" Cheng said with much awe as he picked himself up and resumed to his spot.

"That is one thing, Cheng" Jiang lectured "remember that Tai Chi Chuan—_in fact—_uses Tai Chi moves for self-defense. Not only does it help the chi flow in your body and give you peace of mind, but it's also very useful in combat. Besides," Jiang added "you've gotten pretty darn good with your kicks and punches. I think you're ready to learn some basic blocking"

"Aw yeah! Dad, did you hear that? I'm going to be a Kung Fu master!" Cheng cried out in glee , smiling at his proud father.

"Couldn't be any more proud of you, son!" Wolf Boss replied.

"What?" Shen interrupted, "A Kung Fu Master in that age? Preposterous!"

Ignoring the white peacock's understatement, Jiang prepared her student for his next lesson. "Don't worry Cheng, I have faith in you" she said to him calmly.

"You know, you shouldn't say that in front of the boy" Wolf Boss told Shen dryly "he's a child after all. Maybe you should not only pack some extra bandages with you, but an extra serving of patience and manners as well"

"What's wrong with you?" Shen finally snapped "Don't you dare snap back at me like that as if you have a clean reputation yourself!"

"You're testing my patience"

True indeed, Wolf Boss could only manage to restrain himself from standing up and hitting his former master. He lacked the action, but his depleting patience was evident in his glaring, ruby-red eye. His growing impatience had drawn a smirk over his ex-master's face, as if feeding on his negative vibe. "Scrub that smirk on your face before I do" he muttered bitterly.

"Is that a challenge?" Shen replied sardonically when suddenly, a spear head landed in between the two. In their surprise, they tilted their heads to the source of the weapon where they saw an exasperated Indian Peahen with an eyebrow raised to them. "No fighting in my class" Jiang ordered in a grim, commanding voice which did not end in vain. The two men lowered their glares, Wolf Boss more out of respect, while Shen only wanted to avoid further trouble.

"Master Jiang" Cheng interrupted "I don't really get how the defense things work"

"I suggest a little demonstration, master" Wolf Boss added, gesturing over to Shen who flinched at the suggestion.

"Good point" Jiang smirked "Now, _Lord_ Shen, please step up and help me show little Cheng here how blocks work"

"I think I'll—

"Please, Lord Shen!"

"—pass…" Shen let out an exasperated sigh while rubbing his temples "No, I don't think I can put up with further humiliation for this day" he turned around, his pride slightly hurting.

"Well, Cheng" Jiang turned around and faced the pup "I guess we'll just have to find an alternative since Lord Shen's obviously scared to scar his girly white feathers"

Shen's eyes widened and turned back around "Say that again?"

"Alright Cheng, let's go back to training" Jiang instructed, a slight grin slowly forming on her face.

Shen had finally enough of this. _I'm not taking this from a low-life woman! _He thought to himself. His anger was beyond comprehendible, as he had indeed taken too many insults that day and for once he would like to prove this _ridiculous_ woman wrong. He clenched his white, injured wing and walked towards Jiang, discarding the thought of his injuries and acting as if he had none of them at all "I don't back out from petty things like this" he sneered.

"Are you sure?" Jiang replied, not wiping the mischievous grin off her face.

"Of course I'm sure! Now let's get this stupid thing over with before I change my mind!"

Jiang shrugged indifferently and replied with an "okay" before she proceeded to position herself and Shen in front of Cheng who waited patiently for the demonstration.

"Now Shen—er—Lord Shen" she started "since your wings are badly injured, I'll give you the honors of using your feet". "Now Cheng" she continued "remember this move?" In the same familiar manner that both master and student were accustomed of, Jiang raised her feathery hands and proceeded to demonstrate one basic Tai Chi move.

"Yes, master!" Cheng answered.

"Good, now watch this" Jiang motioned Shen to throw off an attack. In agreement to the prior instruction, as well to what his body is currently instructing him to do right now, Shen proceeded to attack Jiang with a roundhouse kick. As the attack almost hit her, Jiang raised her wing and performed the same Tai Chi action, albeit this time, it was swift—more powerful than Cheng or even Wolf Boss had perceived it to be—and the final throw was enough to send Shen sliding back; his metal claws slightly scratching the tiled pavement.

Cheng's eyes widened in admiration of the self-defense his teacher had just performed. He had just realized how powerful a Tai Chi move was if performed properly! "Wow, that is so cool!"

Jiang nodded. Of course it was.

Shen, on the other hand, was displeased by the outcome of the block but nonetheless stood his ground, just so that he will hear nothing else from the peahen.

"Okay, now for another demonstration" Jiang repositioned herself and Shen once again, and repeated the ordeal.

The demonstration lasted for 3 rounds, the same moves being maneuvered repeatedly until Jiang finally decided that Cheng had learned quite enough for him to perform the blocks by himself.

When his _job_ was done, Shen immediately—without a word—walked away from the field and started on the stairs.

"You're not staying?" Jiang asked him; her voice still indifferent but eyed him as if she was surprised.

"I have no reason to stay. My job is done, isn't it?" Shen replied bitterly without looking back. Secretly, he grabbed his bandaged wing and walked up the stairs. He had had a rough day and he hadn't even had a peaceful rest to nurse his wounds. He wanted to deny it but they awfully hurt at the moment, but he chose to ignore the pain and brave it. Wolf Boss trailed along behind him, securing his every move and eyeing Jiang to tell her that he'll have to excuse himself.

"Well what do you know…?" Jiang spoke to no one in particular.

"I think Lord Shen has had a pretty tough day, master" Cheng told her briefly as he stood his stance.

"Yeah well, I suppose he did" she replied, not taking her eyes off the stairway where her comrade and her alleged enemy had long disappeared.

"I just hope you don't go too hard on him though" Cheng talked in a more subtle voice than his usual "He looks like he's in great pain, and he's a really good guy if you get to know him!"

Jiang raised an eyebrow on the pup. His trust towards Shen is just that huge that she could hardly believe what he's saying. This man he calls a "good guy" massacred a village of pandas, attempted to destroy Kung Fu and is now back with an evil plot that could put all of China—or worse, the whole world in danger. How on Earth could that weight of sin disperse the image of the real him? How can a child like Cheng not fear him at all?

"Believe me, Cheng" Jiang started "You do not want to trust that man. Stay away from him and never fall for his goodness speeches or whatsoever. He'll deceive you and he will hurt you if he gets the chance" her eyes narrowed and her voice was more serious. It was rare for Cheng to hear her this way. Jiang had always been the gentle peahen he knew, but around Shen she just seems to turn into another person.

"But Master Jiang—"

"No more but's, Cheng"

Out of fear and respect, the wolf pup could only lower his head and nod.

"I am no longer carelessly leaving you with him as I see that he has deceived you quite well already" she added "I'm doing this for your own good. Now let's resume with your training"

The afternoon training resumed while somewhere inside the palace, a door was closed and a peacock comfortably sat himself on his comfy bed.

"You look awful, Shen. What happened?" The Soothsayer said with much concern.

"I don't want to talk about it" Shen snapped at her, looking away and removing the wasted fresh bandages to put on new ones.

Seeing this, the Soothsayer immediately grabbed the essential herbs and more bandages to help Shen with his wounds. Wolf Boss was standing guard nearby and observed every movement in the room which grew silent for more than a few minutes. Shen was immersed in deep thought. He could have murdered Jiang the night before but he knew it wasn't part of his plans.

His plans.

_She couldn't_, he thought. He cringed at the thought of what could have possibly happened had Jiang spilled his plans to the masters. Jiang _knew_ about his plans and he expected that they would have been foiled and ended on the spot because for some unknown reason she found out about it. But at this point in time, when Gongmen City—their beloved city—is in danger of another invasion, Jiang would have second thoughts before sending him out. They need his intellect, his canons and his strategies.

She needs him. The council needs him. Most of all, Gongmen City needs him.

They would never refuse his help at this time.

He chuckled silently at the thought as the Soothsayer cured his wounds.

"You seem to be lost in thought, Shen" The Soothsayer finally broke the silence.

"I have things to think about" he replied coldly.

Without another word, the Soothsayer proceeded to putting on his bandages. She knew exactly what was going on in his head, but it was something she cannot argue with him any further.

"Soothsayer, what do you see in my future?"

"I see" the Soothsayer spoke in an almost whisper that even Shen cannot anymore hear "I see some light coming"

"Light? What—AUGH!"

Suddenly, Wolf Boss cut in with a huge fire lamp in front of them where he unintentionally—or intentionally—hit Shen with his paw. "Oops, sorry" he said, very less apologetically "It was getting dark so I fetched you some light". He did not wait for Shen or the Soothsayer to answer before he went back to his post.

"Always making a fool and doing that kind of joke huh?" he said calmly, contrary to how he spitefully looks at the old goat with his shaking fist that is clenched to a feathery ball.

"Maybe" she said to him without a hint of fear "or maybe not"

"Hmph—!" the white peacock displayed a disgusted smile as he averted his gaze from his healer.

"If you keep searching outward for that light where you only focus on hatred and violence, chances are, you'll never find it because of your ignorance" she said as she started finishing up his bandage "but if you learn how to search yourself inward—"

With one last knot, she finished.

"—the light will find YOU"


	11. Chapter 10

**A/N:** Sorry for the lack of updates lately! The plot has been going through some changes and I had to make sure that the chapters neatly followed. Enjoy reading!~

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><p><strong>Old Scars<strong>

"Do we have enough?" a hoarse voice echoed through the dry air of the steep mountain. The cete of badgers had just finished raiding a small village a bit far from Gongmen City, away from the eyes of three deadly masters, for their supplies.

"Enough for all of us, boss" a younger badger appeared by the badger leader's side.

"Good" he replied, not even sparing the other a look, "Hei Bao wouldn't want us starving for the rest of this journey". With one final sigh, he weaved through the cete until he finally reached the front where the towering, muscular figure of a black panther leads the group.

"Sir, we have enough supplies to get us through, as you have instructed" he huffed, catching his breath while struggling to keep up with the one-eyed feline who showed no signs of exhaustion—despite their struggles for that day.

"Excellent," Hei Bao muttered darkly.

"If you don't mind me asking" the badger boss responded "where are you taking the group, sir?"

Hei Bao let out a short sigh before coming to a halt. He motioned his cete to do the same as he eyed the misty blue mountain that was ahead just right after the one they were traversing. "That mountain" he pointed at it the towering land mass, "right on top of that mountain is a factory someone I knew owned. If we are to take Gongmen City, we must use weapons that surpass theirs," he paused for a bit, then, continued "we play how they play the game". He let out a dark chuckle, intimidating enough to send jolts of electricity up into the badger leader's spine.

"Right, of course" the badger stuttered.

It took a whole day's trip for the group to finally reach the top of the mountain. There were no signs of life anywhere except for a few shrubs and small insects. Otherwise, there were more than a hundred dead trees that surrounded the area and the snow had profusely built along the pathway. At the end of the trail was a huge, abandoned weapons factory, which seemed left for a long time. The badger leader shivered at the sight as the cold, snowy wind blew past him.

"We have arrived" Hei Bao spoke coldly.

Upon entering the edifice, a howl of wind eerily blew past the group. The cete was silent, and only Hei Bao could manage a smirk upon the sight of the familiar building. He inhaled, smelling mildew and dust that covered most of the walls and equipment. He let out a satisfied grin and called out to his followers, "light the torches!" he exclaimed. At that, the group disassembled and fumbled their way towards the torches, guided by their natural instincts and the huge factory was lit one torch to another.

"Sir" the badger leader spoke, "what are we going to do next?"

Hei Bao slowly turned to meet the badger leader's gaze, the latter partly freezing due to the inclement weather and his boss's rather intimidating stature, especially in the cold, partly-lit workshop. "We'll start making preparations as soon as possible, badger. What are you so afraid of?" the question sent chills down the badger's spine. "None sir" he replied, voice trailing off to an almost whisper.

"Fear" Hei Bao said dryly, walking past the nervous badger, "the look I long for on the people of Gongmen City. The moment I seize their supply of gunpowder and their canons amidst their fallen protectors, shall I only then fulfill my destiny". He walked past the dusty supplies of metal and scraped a finger against it, "I will prove that I am worthy to be respected… once they bow before me" he absentmindedly picked up an old, worn glass and fiddled his huge paw fingers against it. The badger leader could only look at him in confusion. He had known Hei Bao for months, and yet he truly never understood his boss except for the fact that they needed his protection. His motives are always unclear, and so are his purposes. Other than he is a skilled swordsman, none of them truly knew who he is.

"I have been betrayed. Gravely" The shattering of glass on Hei Bao's paw broke him away from his thoughts, "the day you found me lying helplessly in the river was someone's fault and I wait for the day that I make him pay"

"Sir" the badger mustered, "Is this Shen you speak of?"

"No" the panther snapped at him "Shen is a delusional and weak idiot who doesn't deserve the canons he had pioneered" Hei Bao continued whilst he examined the tools around the factory "but that doesn't matter now. I'm sure you have taken care of that foolish man"

"Yes, we have" the badger looked away, hopeful that Hei Bao doesn't see the restlessness painted all over his face. "Shen is as good as dead, sir". Guilt started to creep all over him all of a sudden.

"Good" the panther softly whispered.

"But sir, if it isn't Shen, then who is it?" the badger tried to shift the topic.

"He is none of your concern, badger" Hei Bao snapped at him once again "But what he did is unforgivable. He weighed me down, pinned me away from my ambitions of becoming a famous weapon smith and swordsmaster. He owned this factory, just like he owned my freedom" he related bitterly, his paws shaking in agitation. He turned around viciously and pointed at his mask "he gave me this scar!"

There was a brief moment of silence between the two. Neither spoke a word, and the badger was held immobilized by the amount of venom in Hei Bao's voice. After what seemed like forever, the panther spoke, "is there anything else you'd ask?"

"None sir" the badger leader stuttered.

"Then wrap your army up and start working" he said "I want the canons started as soon as possible", he paused briefly, before finally adding "our canons will surpass that of Gongmen City's, I'll make sure of that". "Right away sir" the badger replied, gesturing respectfully and running off towards his comrades.

"Time is almost up, Gongmen City" Hei Bao menacingly whispered to himself, and followed by a dark chuckled in the midst of the cold, snowy night.

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><p>There was a clap of thunder that followed the vicious streak of lightning across the Gongmen City night sky. The soothsayer abruptly opened her eyes, awakened by the booming sound and shaken by a nightmare. She rubbed her eyes gently, eyeing the room around as course of instinct. Instead, she was met by an empty bed across her, which caused her to panic inside. Across the room, the door was open, evident that the peacock she kept an eye with had gone out in the middle of the night. Next to the door was the supposed guard of the room; heavily asleep and his snout on the floor. The soothsayer wasted no time and shrugged it off. She jumped off her bed and headed to the doorway.<p>

The hallway was silent save for the constant howling of the wind, and only a few lanterns were lit. The elderly goat followed the trail of opened lights along the marble corridor, hopefully finding the ivory fowl she had in custody.

She wasn't wrong.

At the end of the hallway, leaning against the balcony was Shen standing quietly. The creases on his robe and the light ruffling of his feathers were enough to indicate that he had not been standing there for long. His crest feathers fluttered wildly against the wind.

"You had a nightmare"

The peacock turned around, visibly shaken. He quickly rubbed it off his face and replaced it with disgust towards his old nanny that shocked him half to death. "Oh, did I?" he murmured sarcastically.

"You've been waking up at this hour for the past few nights, Shen"

Shen did not answer. Instead, he turned his attention to the falling autumn leaves by the courtyard of his old home. Their silence is calming, and yet unnerving. He found it hard to dish up whatever lie he could come up with just to prove the Soothsayer wrong. He was tired. And he hated it that she is always right.

"Winter is fast approaching, is it not?"

He sighed, "You have no business here with me, Soothsayer."

A slight smile formed at the side of the old goat's mouth. She could not help noticing the restlessness the peacock's voice gave and she was sure he heard it, too. The wind had started to calm a bit, but not calm enough to stop Shen's feathers from shivering. She observed how slumped his shoulders have gotten, and his head hanging as if he were in great distress.

"So what did you see?"

The peacock inhaled sharply, "I couldn't remember anything, Soothsayer" his piercing ruby orbs glowed under the moonlight as he looked at her "I mean it."

"Our minds have the ability to forget, Shen, but our hearts do not"

Shen shifted his gaze restlessly, trying desperately to avoid the Soothsayer's eyes. He knew she could see well into him. She always had. "Leave me"

The Soothsayer regarded him with a faint look of pity. She tugged at her cane and started walking away, leaving the peacock on his own.

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><p>When dawn had broken, Shen was not in his bed as the Soothsayer might have suspect. In his stead he saw his discarded bandages hanging on the edge, flowing freely along the soft breeze that wafted through the window. She stood up carefully and headed towards the window to see Shen walking at the courtyard, without his bandage and with Wolf Boss and Cheng beside him. They headed towards the direction of the fireworks factory.<p>

"You need not worry, he's with his guard" the Soothsayer spoke with a smile towards the entity at the door, to which her back was turned. She heard the chamber door close gently.

"I figured you'd know I was here" Jiang murmured, strode through the room and sat beside the Soothsayer, "is he giving you a hard time?"

"Not at all. Except for his stubbornness, but that's to be expected, is it not?"

Jiang only smiled in reply, helping the Soothsayer gather up Shen's bandages and neatly folding them.

There was a brief silence until the Soothsayer spoke, "You came here for more than one reason than find him"

Jiang looked up, perplexed. "Pardon?"

"He's been having nightmares lately, Jiang"

Jiang's lightly ruffled tuft casted a lighter brown hue against the sunlight, her cool blue eyes stared down thoughtfully at the warm bandages on her hands without uttering a single word.

"I can hear him at night. Staying in his old home where memories are bound to haunt him one by one may have caused this. He's been growing restless"

The peahen sighed, not knowing how to respond. It dawned unto her that the council's decision to have the fugitive stay in his own house had done harm, indeed; And for that matter, to both sides. She clicked her tongue in exasperation. Though this is true, she had dealt with him long enough, and with some difficulty along the way. Jiang knew she needed to spare herself this peacock's personal problem that she didn't have anything to deal with. Why should she?

"I can't help him. I am a chi-healer, not a dream catcher".

Hearing her response did not amuse the Soothsayer, on the other hand. The goat silently put down the fabrics and faced Jiang with a stern—yet understanding—gaze. "Lady Jiang, until how long are you going to keep that bitterness? "

Jiang laughed half-heartedly, "what bitterness?"

"It does you no good. I can feel in your heart the suffering you have come across with when your father passed away. Must it be burdened with more?"

"Shen is a criminal"

"He is confused"

Jiang let out a haggard sigh. She threw back her head and inhaled some air. She knew it well that it was useless to reason with the Soothsayer-and one who could see through her clearly for that matter. As quickly as it hardened, her features immediately softened and shot a glance at the Soothsayer before standing up. "I have to go back to the council. We've been heightening our security for the past few days to make sure we're well-guarded in case the badgers attack".

The goat eyed at the peahen thoughtfully, noticing the scars on her wings and legs. She knew in herself that Jiang did not have it easy either in her course of life either and this made her immediately feel pity towards the fowl. She saw it in the peahen's eyes, too. They seemed tired, aggravated behind its innate kindness. She curved a smile of concern before turning back into tidying up Shen's belongnings. "Very well then."

Jiang briefly gave her a bow out of respect and started to the door, only to stop midway exiting the room.

"By the way, Soothsayer…"

The elderly goat slowly lifted her head to meet the distant gaze of the peahen warrior.

"I beg you not use that title on me again"

As swiftly as the wind came into the room, it had gone as quick.

The Soothsayer was left alone.

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><p><strong>AN: **I'm sorry it's not as long as I hoped it would be. I'll do my best to make the next chapter longer than this one, and probably more less-than-hostile interactions between Jiang and Shen. Thank you very much for your very kind reviews and faves. It means a lot!


	12. Chapter 11

**A/N:** *blows dust off* AYE IT'S BEEN A WHILE. To everyone who is still reading this: thank you so much! I didn't realize you're all waiting for a new chapter and all that. I had this chapter lying around unfinished for **more than a year** now. I guess I got really busy with school, delved into other fandoms and whatnot... I have no idea what to say oh my god... but anyway, the plot gained progress since the last time I opened it hahaha. I finalized the plot so expect that I'll update this more. Hopefully. Anyway, from where we left off, Shen is being plagued by nightmares and Jiang being an absolute bitch to him is essential to the plot. Perhaps we can see a turn-around soon? Let's find out! I hope you enjoy this long chapter!~

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><p><strong>Edge<strong>

The walk to the fireworks factory was a surprisingly long one, Shen thought. He looked around their trail—no one, as he would have expected—just him, Wolf Boss and Cheng. He hadn't exactly slept well for a couple of days now. His nightmares were growing worse each night he slept, but he couldn't remember any of it in the morning. He thought of consulting the Soothsayer, but what would the foolish old goat do to help? She will only scold him, that's for sure. His eyes traversed the path they took; weary and protective. He had gone up and down this path countless of times—a path only he and his wolf army knew of—and yet he was restless. The jolly wolf pup trotted way ahead of them, running up to the hill to the factory as he had grown accustomed of. The pup's enthusiasm lifted his spirits up a bit, only to be crushed down by some insolent thought that kept him from breaking even a slight, creepy-looking smile.

"There's nothing to fear" Wolf Boss broke the silence, as if hearing his thoughts, "the area is secured, no one can touch you from hereon"

"I know that. As if anyone would be foolish enough to do so, anyway" he huffed his chest proudly, as if taking the wolf's reassurance as an offense.

Wolf Boss rolled his eye at the white fowl's cockiness. He should be used to this by then. His time spent with Jiang did help him lengthen his patience. Then again, he pondered for a moment. He had been Shen's companion since the bird was still a young teen. Contrary to the company he kept, he was a reserved, obedient and quiet young man, often locking himself in the factory and exploring the fireworks his father invented. He had always been really smart and handy with things. He knew how stuff worked and he could break a whole device apart and put it back together—and even much improved than it was before he dismantled it. He did, however, change as the years passed and yet he had grown fond of the leucistic peafowl, whom he assumed had returned the same sentiments. A slight pain panged at the base of his neck. His paw roamed around the bald spot that contained a scar.

Perhaps not.

His low grumble distracted Shen's deep thinking, which the latter did not really appreciate. He frowned a bit at the awkward air; it hadn't been like this in the past. He and Wolf Boss used to talk a lot about tactics and plenty of common interest. Now they were just silent, as if they never knew each other personally. He chose to shrug the thought off, feeling rather uneasy of where his mind was bound to take him. He continued threading the sun-warmed path. The factory shouldn't be far off.

"Dad! Lord Shen! Hurry up!" They heard Cheng exclaim from beyond them.

"In a minute, son!" Wolf Boss replied.

"Is your son really that ecstatic every single day?" Shen questioned his comrade as his eyes narrowed at the path, a hint of irritation on his voice.

"I hope you don't have a problem with that" Wolf Boss replied equaling his level of irritation.

"As long as he keeps away from me most of the time, then I won't have a problem with that" Shen sighed, his patience almost disappearing. He hated arguing with the canine. He didn't mean to, anyway, but the grey wolf really did seem to dislike him.

"I trust my son. I did tell him to stay away from you"

"Well that's good" Shen walked ahead of him as he muttered.

Upon reaching the factory, Shen was heaving for breath. Wolf Boss politely—and surprisingly, calmly—offered him a hand which the fowl stubbornly rejected; only to have him almost tripping down at the doorway of the building.

"Are you sure you're fit to do this today? You don't look like someone who had a good night's sleep"

"I'm fine!" Shen snapped back, trying his best to keep up, "now open the door"

Wolf Boss ignored his yelp anyway and opened the door, to see wolves of his kind working on new cannons as usual. "They're almost done" he said, a hint of admiration in his voice.

"Good, now to have these canons sit at where your masters want them. I'm not in charge of where to put those things"

"Perhaps you should discuss this with them"

Shen thought for a moment. This was not what he was expecting to do months ago, yet he find himself in a situation where he either obeys or dies. He frowned at the thought. "I don't have to, I did what they want! Now they have to do what I want which is to leave me alone"

"As long as you're alive, I doubt they will"

The thought hardened at Shen's throat. He had grown impatient of the pace of things, and his reoccurring nightmares aren't exactly helping. He took a blade underneath his robes and angrily threw it on an adjacent wall before proceeding to inspect the development.

Perhaps it was the stress she had experienced with the Soothsayer that morning, or she was just very tired after a whole, eventful day. It wasn't like her. It wasn't like Master Jiang to just drag herself across the courtyard after training the children and attending to her usual rounds, and finally going for a bit of a session with her friends herself, as she had done religiously every day of the week. This day was different. All Jiang wanted to do now is slump into a bed somewhere and slack off for the rest of the day. She needed something to calm her down.

"Hey" Jiang snapped her head to the direction of the voice.

"Oh, good morning, Master Croc" she straightened up and bowed to her colleague.

"You don't look so good. Everything okay?"

"Yeah, I suppose. I'm extra tired today, is all"

"Nothing a good helping of almond cookies and milk tea couldn't fix, don't you think? Come on, I had snack prepared. Join me and Master Ox at the dining hall"

"Aren't we supposed to hold a meeting this afternoon, though?"

"It's still technically a meeting" Master Croc shrugged as-a-matter-of-factly, "only we'll be meeting over snacks"

Jiang smiled weakly to her comrade as she let him lead the way. She let out a sigh of relief as soon as she walked away from the training plaza. She's been working extra hard since she came back to Gongmen City, she thought. Perhaps she had been too stiff to even consider an unusual snack time as a more enjoyable way of discussing issues.

The dining hall was welcoming and the two masters saw that Master Ox had finally settled on the table, nibbling off an almond cookie with a steaming cup of jasmine tea beside his plate. They all stood and bowed with respect before heading to their respective places on the table.

"You look uh… tired" The bovine stopped chewing on his pastry and wiped the crumbs off his snout.

"I'm fine" Jiang said simply, "now, I think we should discuss about where to place the canons today"

"No, that's not the headline of this meeting" Master Ox cut her off, "I didn't know you had that little standoff with Shen a few days ago"

Jiang felt a lump on her throat form. Looking back, it was a pretty stupid move for a known calm and collected master. She sighed, lowering her head in defeat and prepared herself for the possible berating from her colleague, if berating is what it's even called for a grown woman like her. He was injured, she thought, no matter how much he pissed her off, taking advantage of his disability was out of the line; a total disobedience to her morals. No matter how she would explain it, one could never deny the fact that the wise master had, for once, done an act of utmost stupidity. Guilt started forming in the back of her mind, which she immediately denied acknowledgement.

"Do you want added security on that guy?" the offer was a surprise, and Master Ox looked serious about it.

"No, there is no need to do that. He just got on my nerves, that's all" the next was a dead silence on Jiang's end as she sipped from her cup of cold milk tea. She knew for one thing that the only reason she reigned victorious was because Shen was completely out of shape, and his actions within the palace walls—heavily armed with those not of his alliance—are extremely limited. She shook her head in disgust. If anything, Shen is more experienced and more volatile than her. If anyone was digging their grave at that moment, she knew very well that it was her.

"I don't suppose this is some kind of mating ritual" Master Croc jested, "for two of the same kind, I find that your courting ways are rather hostile" he chuckled, Master Ox joining him. They did not pay heed to the peahen across them staring daggers.

"Well anyway" Master Ox wiped a tear from his eye, "are you sure you don't need added security?"

"Master Ox, I am old enough and capable of handling that rooster myself, or would you like a demonstration to prove my point?" Jiang mocked, narrowing her gaze, yet drew a slight smirk at the challenge.

"Alright, I get it. I'm just concerned. Were you hurt?"

"I managed to get a few cuts and bruises but I'm fine. I'm sure he won't try and do something funny again"

Master Ox's face turned rather serious. "You can never tell, Jiang. Who knows what he's capable of? For all I know, I'm sure he didn't use his full force against you. I saw how he fought, and he's no ordinary opponent"

"And you used your chi-block to hold him down, didn't you?" Master Croc chimed in.

"I did. I told you, everything is taken care of. I am not underestimating his abilities, but he's not our priority right now. Gongmen City is under the threat of some lunatic pirate who's nothing short of a bullet from the mist"

"Speaking of him, it's a mystery Hei Bao hasn't shown up for a while. I sense dread, unless we're sure he's gotten rid of. The more the sands fall from the hourglass, the tenser this whole wait is getting" Master Croc replied, holding a cookie on his hand while he eyed Master Ox with concern, "Unless we are sure that he is in prison, dead or alive, then we can't worry about anything else but the welfare of the people of this city"

"We are yet to know of Hei Bao's objectives, or who he is for that matter. But in any case, we are prepared, that's for sure. Wolf has updated me about the canons' progress. The pack is doing a good job and soon, it will be ready for deployment" Before Master Ox could continue, the door of the dining hall burst open to reveal a disheveled Shen and an indifferent Wolf Boss standing on the doorway.

"Well good evening to you" Jiang muttered in irritation. She knew should have been used to the peacock's lack of respect by now, but given the events for the past days, she could just feel the stress clouding her mind and preventing reason.

"My… companion advised that I join your meeting for tonight" The peacock gestured to Wolf Boss who bowed in agreement.

"For the update on the cannon, masters, is all" The wolf licked his lips before swallowing a lump, seeing how disturbed the council had been on the sudden intrusion "but… we could perhaps return later"

"No, stay" Master Ox said, "I was just about to have him called". The room fell silent, and there were only gazes exchanged, except for Jiang who kept her head down, and Shen looking about impatiently.

Hours passed and Jiang could no longer count how many times she rolled her eyes when Shen tried to propose a tactic. She found them either too risky, unconventional, and sometimes even impossible; to the point that she felt like she had to argue with every word he said, which was not she intended. She tried to collect her thoughts; her rationality, if there was any left, and tried to distinguish between the fact that Shen _is_ actually proposing a stupid plot or if she was just growing tired and irritated of the whole board meeting that seem to be going nowhere, at least with her. She sighed deeper at the fact that the bull and the reptile seem to be forming some sort of trust with him already.

At that moment, Shen finally felt himself snap.

"Well then" he spat, "if you think you are a better army leader than I am, then say something instead of counter-attacking me!"

"Forgive me" Jiang said, and for the first time she meant it, "but what you say does not even make sense. Build a wall around the city to use as its fortress? We do not have that much time. Not to mention it could cost us a lot!"

"I hate to interrupt, but that other proposal which was to put hidden cannons in strategic parts of the city borders seems like a good idea" Master Croc said.

Jiang thought for a moment, then sighed, "Perhaps we could, but since our cannons are limited…"

"…They would have to be put along the key ports of the city where ships can freely come and go" Master Ox finished, nodding in agreement. Master Croc nodded as well, regarding Shen with a look that hinted of respect.

_Finally I made sense, right? These fools…_ Shen thought bitterly.

"Well, I guess you actually were of use today, huh?" Jiang half-heartedly glared at her leucistic counterpart.

"You should probably retire yourself, Master Jiang" Shen mocked the other bird, "seeing as you seem to be the only one in the council who is not thinking straight"

Jiang raised an eyebrow.

"How sweet of you to be concerned" Master Croc half-mocked, half-joked and was regarded with a look by the peahen.

"Do not mistake it for concern" He glared at the reptile.

"Okay, okay, but if you two would just, you know, probably get along… it would make it easier for us to discuss matters next time" Master Croc looked at the male and female back and forth, his voice hinted of concern. Yet true enough, he was beginning to feel that the conflict between the two—one he and Master Ox could not understand—is getting in the way of ultimately saving them, and their city. The ox nodded in agreement, for he too felt the same about their situation.

Jiang tiredly narrowed her gaze in response, as if Master Croc spoke in a foreign tongue. Shen, on the other hand, shook his head; "this is not the concern at this moment. That wretched bandit is at large and the city is under a threat, and you two are suggesting we kiss and make up."

"Well… you two look together" Master Croc choked, "as umm, partners—partners in crime. I mean, yeah, you know, you get me"

"It's not a big deal, is it?" Master Ox said calmly, flashing a genuine look of concern to the white peafowl he once—and probably still is—considered an enemy.

Shen did not respond, but huffed his chest with pride and looked away.

"It is" Jiang responded shortly. Her two comrades shuddered at the coldness in her voice. "Now, if this meeting is over, I would like to excuse myself. I feel ill"

Master Ox's stare lingered at her for a moment. "Yes, you may" his tongue hung on to the last syllable. He wanted to hold her back and ask her a lot of things. Many, many things—but he was not sure what or where to start. He suddenly felt that he did not know his comrade of more than twenty years well enough. He felt as if there was a part of her he needed to know, that there was a space that needed closure. However, today would not be that time, but he is sure he will find out. He stole a glance towards his reptilian comrade, who, as it appears, felt the same. Master Croc looked at Shen. Maybe he knows something. But he could not find it in himself to speak.

Shen kept his glance away from the peahen as she made her way out of the room with her shoulders slumped. He looked down on the floor, contemplative. He was not sure what to make of the trust that the two council masters had shown him today. He should be happy; he should be grinning; but he found himself mindful of his situation, and he was sure this is only going to contribute to his worsening nightmares.


End file.
